Vanguard's Winx
by DivideMyth
Summary: When Bloom, Aisha, Stella and the Specialists went to Shadowhaunt to save the Pixies, they find a weakened boy. The boy doesn't know who he is, or what he was doing there, but he has immense magical powers that Darkar and his new good friend, Void seeks to be able to summon the Ultimate Power.
1. The Rescue

Aisha was searching for the Pixies and found them in a cage in a room in Shadowhaunt. "Aisha! You came for us!" Lockette exclaimed joyfully.

"Of course, she did," Chatta said.

"Don't worry, I'll get all of you out of there," Aisha assured as she transformed and started firing at a shield producer, but her Winx started to lower exponentially.

"Aisha! You can do it!" Chatta cheered, but Aisha's transformation was fading.

"Is someone there...?" A boy's voice called weakly from the darkness. There were sounds of clanking chains.

"There was someone else here?!" Chatta exclaimed.

"Why didn't he call out sooner? It's illogical," Digit pointed out.

"Hurry, Aisha we need to help him. Use your power in the direction of his voice. He is probably hidden somewhere so no one can find him," Amora said. Aisha used the last of her power to destroy an illusion and she found a blue-haired boy on the ground with chains on his wrists and ankles.

It seemed like his senses were weakened because he couldn't hear them even when they were so loud. His eyes were dark and he wasn't strong enough to even lift himself up. "I feel something light…" The boy thought.

"My Vanguard, they will help you out of here. I will release the last of your energy."

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked. She fell to her knees when her transformation disappeared. The boy stayed unmoving, his eyes remained dull. "Maybe I shouldn't have used the last of my Winx on him," she commented. An aura appeared and flared up around Aichi. Aisha suddenly felt a burst of power and got Winx back. "My Winx! It's back."

"The door to his heart is bright. Darkar must have been keeping him here for some reason," Lockette wondered.

"Well, he does have a lot of magical power inside of him. Maybe Darkar wanted to brainwash him and add him to his army," Amora guessed.

"Let's not think about that yet. I still need to get all of you out of there," Aisha said. She faced the barrier and charged up an energy ball. But before she fired, the barrier suddenly disappeared randomly.

"Darkar is letting us go?" Chatta asked without belief.

The roof started to fall and it looked like it was going to fall right on top of them. "Hurry let's run!" Chatta shouted.

"Wait! That boy!" Lockette said. Aisha hurried and broke his chains before dragging him outside.

"Thank you for helping me…" The boy thanked. His strength and senses were returning to him. Sky, Bloom, and Stella were still outside, but they were having some trouble with the witches.

"Witches?!" Aisha exclaimed. She placed the boy down somewhere safe before going to fight. "I know how to deal with your kind in Tides."

"Well you aren't in Tides anymore," Icy replied.

An aura appeared around the boy. "My Vanguard, do you have enough strength to fight?" A voice that only the boy could hear asked.

"Yes. I'm not sure what is going on... But thanks to that girl, I'm out of the darkness and I've been gaining strength exponentially," the boy answered as he stood up.

"Hold my card up," the voice instructed.

"I don't know your name..." Aichi thought. He didn't know who Blaster Blade was, but it was like his body moved on its own. He held out a card and it glowed. The light changed into white armour and a white sword. His eyes widened and a light burned in his eyes. "Blaster Blade!"

Aichi jumped up and protected Sky from an attack. "What? Who are you?" Sky asked.

"Watch out!"

Aichi's eyes widened as darkness started to surround him. His transformation began to fade and he clenched his head. "Blaster Blade!" Aichi called. He transformed back and a wave of light extinguished the darkness. It also freed Bloom and Stella from the darkness that was binding them.

"I'm feeling so much positive energy," Bloom said as her transformation returned. Aichi was exhausted and fell backward into Sky's arms before fainting. "Our powers are back!" Bloom cheered.

"It must be him. Aisha, who is he?" Sky asked.

"I don't know, I found him chained up in a dark barrier in the room I found the pixies," Aisha answered as she was fighting Stormy.

"Well... he bought us time, but we can't last long," Stella said. Suddenly a man with glowing yellow wings appeared and knocked all 3 of the witches down.

"What? Who are you?" Aisha asked.

"We're retreating," Icy announced as the witches ran.

"Wow!" They said together as the angel flew away without saying a word.

"He saved us," Bloom commented.

"Come on! Let's get out of here now that our mission is done," Sky commanded. He pulled Aichi onto his back and they made their way out or Shadowhaunt.

"Wait! We can't leave without Brenden!" Stella exclaimed once they got into the caves. She began stomping ahead of them.

"But, carrying that boy will slow us down and we probably won't be able to save him," Aisha responded. Stella still continued moving.

"Then leave him here or I will go alone!" Stella shouted angrily.

"Stella, we can't leave him here alone and unconscious. I'm sure, Darkar kept him chained up for a reason," Sky pointed out.

"Yeah. I am sure he didn't want him to escape since he weakened his senses and hid him well," Aisha agreed.

"I don't care! I'm going alone then!" Stella shouted back. Aichi opened his eyes weakly.

"The dark energy in this area is weakening me," Aichi informed weakly. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I'll be fine, let me down and help your friend." He used his arms to get off of Sky. He stood on his feet for a second before falling back into the wall.

"That would be bad, Darkar will capture you again," Amore warned. She floated down to Aichi.

"I'll be fine. I'll be able to take care of myself until you come back," Aichi assured.

"Alright! Let's go!" Stella said in a rush as she stomped away.

"Stella, we aren't going to leave him behind. Come on! No man left behind!" Sky cheered as he pulled Aichi up from the ground. He gave him a shoulder so that he can walk.

"I'm sorry. I'm just going to slow you down, but if he insists, I don't think we can change his mind. Maybe if there was some positive energy, I would be a little more powerful. Being exposed by dark energy for such a long time is taking a toll on my body," Aichi apologized. He walked with the help of Sky.

"Don't mention it. You saved us, this is the least we can do," Bloom replied. She was still in her transformation fighting some small creatures behind them. Another wave of positive energy was released as Bloom's Winx began to disappear again. Aichi held in the exhaustion that came afterward. "You are giving me power, I feel the positive energy around you."

"Hey, maybe you can teach me how to release positive energy so that I can give them power," Sky suggested.

"That is my aura. Everyone has a unique one. I can see that her aura is also bright and positive," Aichi explained while looking at Bloom. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Aichi."

"My name is Bloom and he is Sky. The girl that stormed off was Stella and the girl the found you was Aisha," Bloom replied.

"I don't know if I heard properly, but is Stella looking for someone?" Aichi asked.

"Yea, her boyfriend. He is somewhere close," Sky answered. They reached the underground. "And here we are."

* * *

After saving Brenden, everyone went on the ship and returned to Elfia. When they got to the ship, Aichi didn't seem well. He was forced out of his transformation because of his exhaustion. "He stayed in Shadowhaunt too long. The dark energy was eating away at his mind and body the entire time, and at the same time, he was giving all of us magic energy," Aisha explained.

"Let's hurry back to Elfia, maybe Ms. Faragonda will know something that will help," Timmy suggested.

"You could've helped him outside before saving me, but maybe it would be too late for me," Brenden said uncomfortably.

"I'm okay... All of us made it out... that is the only thing that matters," Aichi said as he was about to fall unconscious.

"Come on, we need to get back to Alfea now!" Aisha ordered. Aichi needed help immediately

"Already on it!" Timmy replied. At that point, Aichi had already fainted.

"Hang on there, we'll be at Elfia soon," Brenden assured Aichi. For every second passed, Aichi's breathing and body heat escalated.

Once they reached Elfia, Tecna, Musa and Flora ran out to greet them. The Pixies met them and they bonded together. Soon, Faragonda and Griselda walked out as Sky piggybacked Aichi out of the ship.

"Oh, my! What happened to that boy and who is he?" Faragonda exclaimed after seeing Aichi's condition.

"We found him trapped in Shadowhaunt. He stayed there for too long and now he is in this condition," Bloom explained. Sky put Aichi down on the floor in front of Faragonda, .so that she could get a closer look.

"This is impossible! He should have any magic! Shadowhaunt shouldn't affect him!" Faragonda denied.

"Well, he isn't a normal person. He gave all of our magic back and helped all of us get out. Without him, we probably wouldn't have gotten out," Chatta responded.

"Girls, Griselda! We need to act quickly! Give this boy some of your magic!" Faragonda ordered urgently. Everyone focused and transferred their magic to Aichi. Aichi floated up in the air, but it didn't seem to be working.

"We'll help too!" Lockette said. The pixies nodded and added their magic to the transfer. Aichi's card floated above him as an intense light shone across the whole school.

"What is happening? This light is bright!" Brendan asked. Soon the light disappeared and Aichi floated down onto the ground slowly.

"That should do it," Faragonda said.

"What did we do Ms. Faragonda? We feel exhausted," Flora asked while panting.

"We returned all the magic that Bloom, Aisha, and Stella used from him back. That would be the only way to fix his condition," Faragonda explained. Everyone was exhausted after giving Aichi their magic. "I didn't expect a magical being to have so much magic inside his body."

"He drained eight fairies and five pixies of their magic. How was he able to survive until now?" Tecna asked.

"It might take time for him to wake up. We'll let him sleep in the infirmary for now," Faragonda said.

"I'll carry him to the infirmary for you," Sky insisted.

"No, we'll take care of things from here. You all must be exhausted," Faragonda denied. She used what was left of her magic to lift him up from the ground.

"I guess we'll go back to Red Fountain then," Brenden suggested. The girls said goodbye to the boys as Faragonda took Aichi to the infirmary.

When she got to the infirmary, Faragonda placed Aichi down on a bed carefully. "This boy isn't normal. I will keep an eye on him," Faragonda thought as she looked at Aichi closely. When she turned around to leave, she noticed the Winx outside. "Girls go back to your dorms and rest after your trip. I need to investigate this boy alone."

"Alright. We'll be leaving then," Bloom said sounding disappointed. When they left, Faragonda noticed the room seemed to have slowly darkened.

"That is strange, there is negative energy surrounding this room. Who is there?!" Faragonda shouted. Suddenly, Aichi face became distressed.

"Void…!" Aichi cried in his sleep. Faragonda turned to Aichi to see that black mist was covering his body.

"Begone!" Faragonda shouted as she fired a magic energy ball at it, but it disintegrated. Aichi slowly sat up. It was not natural, it was like someone or something was pulling him up.

When Aichi lifted up his head, Faragonda saw his evil smile and darkened eyes. "A fairy… Huh…? And a powerful one too…" Aichi said with a deeper tone.

Faragonda jumped into a defensive position. "Are you Darkar?"

Aichi chuckled. "No… Actually, my name is Void…" he answered. His smile was soon wiped away as he clenched his head. "Void… Don't harm anyone…" It was Aichi's warm voice. A card emerged from his pocket and it was glowing.

"Sendou! Blaster Blade! Don't stop me your pests!" Void shouted with Aichi's body.

"Please, whoever is there. Attack me! Don't let it do any harm to anyone!" Aichi pleaded as he was trying to keep control. Faragonda quickly responded and hit him with her magic. Aichi fell on the bed and laid there.

"You are a fool, Aichi… Sendou…" Void said as the darkness disappeared. Aichi slightly opened his eyes to see Faragonda. His breathing was heavy.

"Thank you…" Aichi muttered as he fell asleep. The darkness seemed to have left, for the time being. Faragonda looked at Aichi's relaxed face.

"Is he really a human? He looks like a human, but he has proven that he is a magical being," Faragonda thought out loud. She started making her way outside after confirming Aichi wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. She left Aichi with the nurse of the school, who watched over his condition.

A few days later, a new teacher appeared at the school. He was loved by all the students. While the nurse was away, he walked into the infirmary. He looked around suspiciously before closing the door to the room.

"To make sure he can't see your dark aura, you need to place a spell on him," Avalon remembered Void reminding him. Avalon walked closer to Aichi and stood right above him. He held his hand over Aichi's eyes and forehead. A dark orb appeared between them as Aichi started to have a distressed face.

Aichi opened his eyes slightly and saw the hand above him. "Who's there…?" Aichi muttered. The darkness in front of his eyes was making him weak. Avalon kept quiet and waited until Aichi once again fell asleep. After a while, Avalon released his dark orb and walked out of the room like nothing happened.

Later that day, Aichi woke up. At that time, the nurse was sitting at her desk. He looked around the room and kept his eyes on the nurse. He found that he wasn't unable to see her aura.

"What is happening…? I can't see her aura," Aichi thought as he looked closer. The nurse turned around after hearing the bed sheets shuffle.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" The nurse asked. Aichi stared at her blankly for a second.

"I'm feeling good now, I guess," Aichi answered. He was still nervous because he is now unable to see the auras of people. He felt self-conscious since he couldn't tell if someone was an enemy or an ally. He remembered what happened earlier blurrily, but he knew that he was able to see auras before that incident. He saw the man's aura and it was pitch black, but he wouldn't be able to identify him.

"Is there something in your mind?" The nurse asked as she checked on Aichi's physical condition.

"It's just that, there was someone here before. I don't remember who, but I know someone was in here," Aichi informed.

"I was here all day, no one walked in here," the nurse reassured. "Can you stand?" Aichi sat on the side of the bed and stood up. His legs felt a little weak, but he was able to stand and walk.

"Thank you for watching over me. But I'm not really sure where I am right now," Aichi said as he looked around thoroughly.

"You are in Elfia, this is a school for fairies. I heard that you might be startled and confused when you woke up, so I suppose that I should give you a warm welcome," the nurse replied. She waved her hand and a cupcake appeared.

"Wow! That is magic right?" Aichi said as he took the cupcake.

"Yes, it is," the nurse answered with a giggle after seeing a childish reaction from him. Aichi happily ate it.

"Thank you very much. My memories are pretty blurry right now, but I think I met a few fairies in a place full of negative energy. I was so wrapped up in adrenaline that I didn't even think about all the questions I had," Aichi explained as he finished the cupcake.

"Yes, actually. Ms. Faragona would like to speak to you about that. I'll take you to her," the nurse replied.

"Thank you for helping me out," Aichi thanked as they made their way to Ms. Faragona's office. The Winx Club was inside the office as well.

It was quiet inside of the room until Ms. Faragonda finally spoke. "I see you're doing well. I have many questions for you to answer, but first, tell me where you came from," Ms. Faragonda said.

"Everything is a little blurry... but I think I come from Earth. Although, I'm not sure where here is either," Aichi answered as he scratched his head.

"So you do come from Earth! I do too. I'm Bloom by the way. Actually, I think I already told you that," Broom said nervously. Aichi looked at all the people around him and he found that he was still unable to see their auras. He had a down face. "So where on Earth did you live?"

"I don't remember..." Aichi answered sadly.

"Well, that is okay... I lived in Gardenia. But how were you caught up in that mess?" Bloom responded.

Aichi thought and shook his head. "I can't remember... All I really do remember was getting engulfed by darkness and getting trapped in the place where I was found," he answered.

"I have one question for you, what is your relationship with that dark voice?" Faragonda asked.

"I'm pretty sure, we don't have any special relationships. All I know is that its name is Void, it doesn't have a physical body, but is capable of taking control of a vessel to make its host," Aichi explained.

Faragonda thought. "This Void fellow you mentioned. He must be working with Darkar," she speculated.

Aichi was thinking of earlier that morning. "There was someone in the infirmary earlier. I wasn't able to see who, but when I woke up, I felt something different. Before I was able to see everyone's auras, with that information I can distinguish between evil and good. But now, I can't see them," Aichi explained. "I saw the aura of the person that came inside... If I was still able to see auras, I can find the person that is going to threaten this place."

"I never heard of that kind of power before," Faragonda said stunned.

"How do we know he isn't working with Darkar or whatever?" Musa asked.

"We found him chained inside Shadowhaunt. There was a dark barrier around him, so I would've just walked past him like I did the first time if he hadn't called out," Aisha explained.

"I can promise you that I want to stop Void and Darkar," Aichi assured sincerely.

Lockette flew to him, he looked at her confused. "I'm going to check your heart," she informed. She waved her wand to open a portal to his heart. The portal triggered Aichi's Psyqualia and denied her access to his heart. "Something isn't letting me through," Lockette informed confused. Everyone turned to Aichi defensively.

"My Vanguard, Something is trying to access your heart."

"It's fine, Blaster Blade. Let them see inside of my heart. I don't have anything to hide," Aichi responded out loud.

"Blaster Blade?" Faragonda thought.

Aichi's Psyqualia grew in power and everyone in the room was taken by a bright light. Everyone covered their eyes, but they felt warm. "It's warm," Bloom commented.

"And bright!" Musa added annoyed.

Aichi smiled, the light disappeared and they returned back to Faragonda's office. "I'm sorry, there is something that protects my heart, and he won't change his mind unless I tell him to," he apologized. Lockette was sitting comfortably in his hand.

"You mean, Blaster Blade?" Bloom asked.

"Yea… Blaster Blade protects me and gives me guidance," Aichi answered.

"Thank you for explaining everything. I'm sorry, I haven't got your name," Faragonda said.

"My name is Aichi Sendou. It is nice to meet you all," Aichi answered.

"Now the only order of business is what we are going to do with him," a voice said. Everyone turned around and saw Griselda standing at the door.

"Griselda, you've finally made it," Faragonda said.

"We can't have a boy staying at Elfia," Griselda responded.

"Where else would he go?" Bloom asked.

"I don't mind going back to Earth. Although... my memories are really blurry and I don't remember where I live..." Aichi suggested.

"I can't allow that at this time, especially if you have no memories. Darkar is seeking something within you, he will definitely try to capture you once again," Faragonda responded.

Aichi looked confused. "Something within me?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid that I will have to speak with you about that detail in private," Faragonda answered. "For now, I will make preparations so that you will be able to stay at Red Fountain."

"Red Fountain?" Aichi asked.

"It's the school where Brendon goes to!" Stella cheered.

"Oh…" Aichi muttered sounding nervous.

"There is no need to be concerned. I assure you, the boys in Red Fountain are trustworthy and talented. They can protect you if needed," Faragonda assured.

"It's not that… It's just that, I'm not fit to be a warrior," Aichi responded.

"But you were the one who saved us, you were using a white sword," Aisha pointed out.

"I had Blaster Blade's help. To make me stronger and quicker," Aichi responded.

"Ms. F, it was like he transformed. But I'm not sure why or how. It was pretty amazing," Bloom informed.

"Transformed?" Faragonda asked. Aichi nodded. "Would you mind showing us?"

"Should I? It'll use some of my powers." Aichi thought.

"My Vanguard, there is still distrust in their hearts. I believe the correct path is to reveal everything that they ask," Blaster Blade said.

"Okay, then. I can't feel any darkness nearby…" Aichi answered. He took a breath and took out a card from his pocket. He held it up. "Come on, Blaster Blade!" He called confidently. His Psyqualia glowed in his eyes and the card in his hand gave off a light. It was bright, so bright that everyone couldn't even see what was going on. When the light disappeared, Aichi was wearing a headgear with shoulder and wrist guards. He held a long white sword in his hand.

"Wow!"

After a few minutes, he released his transformation and all of the armour and sword disappeared into light particles which disintegrated into thin air. "Ms. F, shouldn't he at least stay for the party tonight?" Bloom asked. Every Winx looked at her a little surprised. Bloom blushed after realizing what her friends were thinking of. "No! Not that way, it's just that, I spent a lot of my life on Earth and I really want to spend time with someone from Earth," she clarified.

"I see, but I don't know. I don't really go to any parties," Aichi responded shyly. "Also… I can't see auras anymore and I feel a little self-conscious about not being able to see them."

"Girl, will you please leave us here. I would like to analyze him," Faragonda requested. The girls left leaving Griselda, Aichi, and Faragonda in the room. "Sit right there, I'll check if anything is abnormal in your eye." Aichi sat down on a chair to the side. Faragonda looked at Aichi's eyes and said an incantation. Aichi looked a little nervous as Faragonda looked closely.

"There is something inside your eye, it looks like a dark lens," Faragonda stepped back from Aichi. "Someone cast a spell on you, I will try to break the spell," she informed.

She began saying another incantation. As she was saying her incantation, Aichi suddenly felt a pain in his eyes. He covered them and screamed in pain. He looked around and saw that dark shadows began appearing. Faragonda was forced to stop his incantation before Aichi's body would go into shock. Soon after she stopped, Aichi's vision turned back to normal.

Aichi rubbed his eyes panting. Faragonda walked to her desk and began writing a note as Aichi calmed down. "I will write a note to request you to stay at Red Fountain. You will be safe as long as you stay with the Winx's friends," Faragonda explained.

"And about the training? I'm really not physically talented enough for that," Aichi responded worriedly.

"You don't need to worry about that. You'll just be staying there for safety, you won't be graded for anything," Faragonda assured.

"I understand," Aichi responded.

"I want to speak to you how important your protection is, Aichi," Faragonda said seriously.

Aichi looked at her confused. "What is it?" Aichi asked.

"I thought that I would explain the details of Darkar's plan to you. You have already proven to be involved in this, you must know how much danger you're in," Faragonda said. Aichi waited for the explanation. "Aichi, listen closely. Darkar is after something called the Ultimate Power. It can only be summoned inside the realm of Relix. To open the portal to Relix, he needs the four pieces of a codex. These pieces are hidden in Cloud Tower, Red Fountain, the Pixie Village and here in Elfia. He also needs a powerful soul to sacrifice. I have reason to believe that you possess that soul."

"A powerful soul?" Aichi responded.

"Yes, you had the power to return the magic of magical beings while inside Shadowhaunt. That is proof of your strong inner power," Faragonda said.

"I understand. I'll be extra cautious," he assured as he got up from his seat. He began walking to the exit of her office.

"Oh, Aichi! Please don't tell anyone else about this," Faragonda requested.

Aichi smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not someone that tells tales," he responded. He opened the door and walked out. When he did walk out, there were fairies in the hallway and noticed Aichi.

"He looks cute."

"I wonder why he is in Elfia."

Aichi walked down the hallway to attract as less attention as possible, but it was difficult in a school full of girls. He soon got himself lost. "Where am I?" He asked himself.

"Oh! Hey Aichi!" A voice greeted. Aichi turned around to see Bloom.

"Oh, Bloom. Um… Hasn't the party started? It is late," Aichi asked nervously.

"Actually, this is a welcome party for a new teacher. He is really dreamy and nice, everyone fell for him the first time they saw him," Bloom answered.

Aichi smiled. "I see you are pretty fond of him," he commented happily.

Bloom jumped. "Actually, I have a really close friend. His name is Sky, he goes to Red Fountain," she corrected. She blushed. "I mean he isn't my boyfriend or anything… but I hope I can be his girlfriend." They began walking around Elfia.

"He must be a nice person then. I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know a person like that," Aichi responded. They reached the outside of Elfia, they sat together on a bench at the front.

"Sky really is a cool and nice guy. He doesn't need to act or anything for me to love him," Bloom said.

"I see, I think I had that feeling before," Aichi responded.

"Really? Do you have a girlfriend?" Bloom asked.

"No, I remember faintly that I have a really close group of friends. My memories are a little blurry right now, but I'm sure I cared for and loved every single one of them," Aichi explained. He sounded happy, but his tone also sounded really sad. "It's strange. Imagine you feel like you're so close to someone, but not being able remembering their name," he added.

Bloom looked nervous. Aichi felt the tension. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel tense. You expressed your feelings, so I thought that I'll express mine as well," he apologized. Little did they know, Sky was hiding in the grass and watching them.

"Bloom and that guy?!" Sky thought angrily.

"How was living on Earth?" Bloom asked.

"I can't remember the details, but I remember having fun there. And I'm sure, this card has something to do with it. My personal life is all blurry, but my mission is as clear as ice," Aichi explained.

"What is your mission?" Bloom asked.

"I need to stop Darkar and Void. I need to do something to save this world from ultimate destruction, but I know I can't do it alone. I hope I will have your helping hand," Aichi answered smiling at Bloom.

"Mine…?" Bloom asked nervously.

"Yea, you and your friends. The ones that surround you the closest," Aichi clarified. He looked at the starry sky. Suddenly, a memory appeared before his eyes.

A brown haired boy was standing in front of him. "Our paths will cross."

"Our paths will cross…" Aichi muttered.

"What was that?" Bloom asked.

"No, it's nothing. It's just something appeared in my head, a faint memory," Aichi answered. Sky couldn't hear anything, he just saw Bloom and Aichi smiling at each other.

Sky decided to come out of his hiding spot. "Hey, Bloom," Sky greeted.

"Oh! Hey, Sky. What are you doing here?" Bloom asked.

"So, he's Sky," Aichi thought.

"Actually I was asked to come here and pick him up. Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and I were put in charge of protecting him until further notice," Sky answered.

"It is nice to meet you, my name is Aichi," Aichi greeted with a smile.

"My name is Sky. Bloom, I would love to stay, but I should be getting back to Red Fountain," Sky said. He almost completely ignoring Aichi's existence.

"Really? So quickly?" Bloom asked.

"I have to follow orders," Sky responded urgently.

"Okay, then. Bye, Aichi. Don't worry, you're in good hands," Bloom assured.

"I'll manage. Have a good time at your party, okay Bloom?" Aichi responded gently. Bloom left to go back into the building.

"Come on, get on the bike," Sky ordered almost coldly.

Aichi knew that something was wrong. Regardless, he got on Sky's bike. "Um… Sky did I do anything to upset you?" He asked passively.

"No, not at all. Why would you ask that?" Sky asked annoyed. He began driving. As they were riding, the ride was completely silent. When suddenly, they were interrupted by shadows.

"Shadows!" Aichi informed.

"What? Where?" Sky asked.

"He can't see them?" Aichi thought to himself.

"Sendou!" A greedy voice called. Aichi knew who that was, Void.

"You better not be joking around!" Sky exclaimed.

"I'm not!" Aichi responded. He took out a card from his pocket and he transformed. "Blaster Blade!" He called. The light emitting from Aichi revealed the shadows so that Sky could see them.

"What are those?!" Sky asked panicked.

"They are shadows, made by the Void," Aichi answered. He jumped off the bike and held his sword up to extinguish the darkness. "There is only one shadow that I won't be able to extinguish with my light and that shadow is Void," he reminded himself.

"Blaster Blade!" He called. Blaster Blade responded by spreading the light to reveal Void.

"So you're back already?" Aichi asked.

"You will never take, My Vanguard."

"Sendou, don't make this harder than it needs to," Void said. He revealed Sky and his bike restrained my black shadows.

"Release him, Void," Aichi demanded. He held his sword in an attacking stance.

"Do you even understand the predicament you're in?" Void asked. The shadows squeezed Sky, trying to suffocate him.

"How about this? I will also tell you about your precious friends," Void added. Aichi reacted with his eyes widening. "You want to know, don't you? All you need to do is come to me quietly and I will reveal everything." Shadows crept up on Aichi's leg, arm, and sword.

"My Vanguard! Don't listen to its words!"

"He won't listen," Void responded. "Now, release Blaster Blade's transformation and we'll make the deal," Void ordered. At Void's angle, it couldn't see Aichi's eyes.

"I can't do this…" Aichi muttered.

"What was that? You'll need to speak louder," Void taunted.

"I won't do this!" Aichi shouted. He began glowing and the shadows retreated from him. He began attacking the shadow. Because Void was holding Sky, he was able to locate a spot that he can swing and have a guaranteed hit. Soon Void released Sky and Aichi caught him and put him on the ground.

"That's enough! Leave here!" Aichi demanded.

Void chuckled. "Fine. For today. But next time, I won't let you off so easily," Void responded. The shadows disappeared and Aichi released his transformation. He didn't know what to do now. Sky's bike was destroyed and Sky was also unconscious.

"What do I do?" Aichi asked himself. He checked Sky's pulse and he was very much still alive. Once Aichi felt like he rested enough, he pulled Sky up. "Blaster Blade, I need to get to Red Fountain. Lend me your power." He transformed once again and carried Sky in his arms to Red Fountain.

Luckily, he was able to see the Red Fountain building from where they were. "My Vanguard, if you remain in this transformation any longer, you will overexert your body," Blaster Blade informed.

Aichi was sweating. "I'm fine. I can make it," he assured. Red Fountain was still a ways away, and Aichi noticed that after looking up. When he reached Red Fountain, he fainted at the front entrance. He dropped Sky on the ground when he did. The armour was released and Blaster Blade's card slid inside his pocket.

Brandon was sitting in his room. "Sky isn't back yet?" He asked.

"He probably got caught up with Bloom," Riven suggested.

"But Sky is on a mission, he can't come back so late because of Bloom," Brandon responded. "Timmy, can you find him?" He asked.

"Give me a second," Timmy responded. He used his computer to search for Sky's rider. "It says that he is inside the forest. He isn't moving either!" He informed nervously.

"Let's go get him, his bike probably broke down," Brandon said. The Specialists ran out to find Aichi and Sky unconscious at the entrance.

"Sky!" They ran to Sky.

"Hey Sky, wake up!" Brandon said. Sky soon opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" Sky asked.

"You were unconscious here. You're at the Red Fountain entrance," Brandon answered.

"What happened to you?" Riven asked.

"I don't remember. All I remember is that guy talking to Bloom," Sky responded.

"Is someone jealous?" Brandon teased.

"Be quiet!" Sky shouted. He looked over to Aichi. "What happened to him and where is my bike?" He asked.

"We were hoping that you would explain that to us," Brandon responded.

"I think he will have the answer," Riven said pointing at Aichi. He pulled Aichi up from the ground. They went inside Red Fountain together.

* * *

Happy Birthday, Tizzy!

This is my new story! It is something a little different (American Cartoon vs Japanese Cartoon, quite different), but I hope it was sufficient quality.

Anyways, I'll keep it short today! Let's wish Tizzy a happy birthday and hope I have the work ethic to finish editing the next chapter by next week!

M


	2. Disaster at Red Fountain

The next day, Aichi woke up in a Red Fountain dorm room. He pulled himself up to a sitting position with difficulty. "Where am I…?" He muttered. " _My body feels so heavy."_

Aichi tried to stand up from the bed, but he ended up just falling on the floor which made a loud bang sound. He winced holding the back of his head. " _My Vanguard, your body is still exhausted from yesterday. Do not panic, you are safe here,"_ Blaster Blade explained.

Someone opened the door to the room he was in. "Hey! Are you okay?" It was Brandon. He helped Aichi back on the bed.

"Thank you," Aichi thanked. He laid there on the bed trying to get comfortable.

"What were you doing with Bloom yesterday? Sky sounded pretty concerned since Bloom and him are pretty close," Brandon wondered. He tried not to sound too intrusive.

"Oh! We were just talking about our feelings," Aichi answered with a smile.

"Feelings?" Brandon asked nervously. He looked to the door slightly and saw Sky. He looked very angry, he was barely able to contain himself. Luckily, Aichi's bed was facing away from the door so he didn't notice Sky.

"Right. And we were also talking about Earth," Aichi added.

"Oh… Um…" Brandon responded even more nervously. Aichi looked confused. "Also, I was wonder what happened last night after you talked to Bloom. We found you and Sky unconscious in the front entrance," he asked.

Aichi paused to think. " _I can't tell him if I do then I'll have to explain everything else,"_ he thought. "Oh, that was nothing. We got into a small accident with the rider. After that, I had to carry Sky here because he was unconscious. I guess I was too worn out when I arrived," he explained.

Aichi sat up on the bed. "Hey! Take it easy! You haven't recovered all your strength yet," Brandon exclaimed.

"I'm alright," Aichi assured.

Brandon looked to the side and saw Sky about to flip. "I guess I should leave, looks like a member of my team needs some... um… help," he said. Aichi turned around and saw Sky's hair slightly before he left.

"Okay," Aichi responded with a smile.

"You can call me if you need anything," Brandon said.

"Okay, I will. Thank you," Aichi thanked as Brandon left. After Brandon left, he felt a sudden exhaustion and fell back asleep.

Meanwhile, Sky and Brandon were walking through the hallway. "Talking about their feelings?! Feelings about what?! Bloom would never like a guy like that!" Sky ranted panicked.

"I guess you'll just have to prove that you're the better man," Brandon joked with a chuckle. Sky glared at him. "I'm sorry. I don't think there is anything between them. Trust Bloom a little more," Brandon said. He patted Sky on the back.

They went to class leaving Aichi alone in the dorm wing. Darkness began filling the room making Aichi looked uncomfortable in his sleep. "Wait…! Don't leave… who are you…?" He muttered. His hand reached out as if he was trying to touch something.

A clutter of black mist began wrapping itself around his outreached arm. Aichi soon began feeling scared. The black mist kept its hold on Aichi's arm. "No… let go!" He cried in his sleep.

" _And if I said no?"_ Void whispered tauntingly to Aichi.

Aichi's eyes then shot open before turning to an evil smile. Soon after, he clenched his head with his free hand, but the smile stayed. "Always a fighter, huh Blaster Blade?" Void asked inside Aichi's body.

The evil smile suddenly disappeared. "No!" Aichi cried loudly as he struggled to regain control. Sadly, there was no one left in the wing to hear his cries. He was biting his lip while trying to keep the control he just fought for. Blaster Blade merged with Aichi causing his body to glow. The black mist began to retreat after being exposed to the radiating light.

Aichi's once trapped hand fell on the bed. " _Tch! Remind me to dispose of you before my accomplice and I use your Vanguard's soul. Both of you will be destroyed soon enough,"_ Void said as it disappeared.

Inside Aichi's consciousness, Aichi was held in place by the black mist. _"My Vanguard, I will release you now,"_ Blaster Blade informed. Blaster Blade slashed through it and caught Aichi before he can fall. He proceeded to place Aichi comfortably on the leveled ground before taking his leave.

"Wait, Blaster Blade..." Aichi called. He reached out his hand to find Blaster Blade and caught Blaster Blade's hand. Blaster Blade turned back to Aichi. "Blaster Blade… stay with me a little longer," Aichi requested. Blaster Blade looked at him and saw the desperation in his eyes.

"Please... don't leave me alone here..." Aichi pleaded. "Can you tell me something about my friends...?" He asked drowsily.

Blaster Blade smiled. He transformed into a brunette boy a little older than Aichi. He was wearing a long light brown jacket with a blue undershirt and black pants. He walked to Aichi and sat beside him. "Toshiki Kai," Blaster Blade said.

"Toshiki Kai…?" Aichi responded as if he remembered something.

"That is the name of your closest friend and rival," Blaster Blade informed. "You both made mistakes, but you keep each other on track," he added.

"Kai," Aichi said warmly. "Thank you, Blaster Blade," he thanked with a smile. He laid his head on Blaster Blade's lap and closed his eyes.

"Every time Void attempts to take control, you lose great amounts of your energy. With all of these relentless attacks, you can barely stay conscious for extended amounts of time," Blaster Blade explained. He looked down to see that Aichi was already fast asleep. He looked almost childish while he was asleep. He stayed still so that Aichi was comfortable as he slept.

"I will protect you always, my Vanguard," Blaster Blade said. He understood that Aichi probably couldn't hear him.

* * *

After class, the Specialists returned to their dorms. They walked into Aichi's room and saw Aichi unconscious and still merged with Blaster Blade. Once Blaster Blade noticed their presence, he released the transformation with Aichi. He was confident that Aichi was safe.

"Okay. Okay. You weren't kidding when you said he can transform," Riven admitted surprised.

"Why was he transformed though?" Brandon wondered. He walked to the other side of the bed and saw that Aichi had a red mark on his arm. It looked like something was wrapped around his hand and forearm. There were also specks of black beginning to form at the center of the red marks. "Hey, Timmy. Have you seen any injury like that?" He asked.

Timmy walked over and held up Aichi's arm by the elbow to analyze it. "The only thing I can really relate this to is a whip or something wrapped tightly around his wrist and forearm. It would have had to be tight enough to cut circulation to making those black specks," he commented. He took out his small laptop to scan the injury. "I'll ask Tecna about this."

Aichi shuffled to the side and muttered, "Toshiki Kai…" He was left in a very vulnerable condition.

"What did he just say?" Riven asked.

"I think I heard To-something Kai," Brandon answered. Timmy made a search of the name, he wasn't able to hear the name clearly so he couldn't narrow it down.

"I did a quick search and I found some people with the name Kai on Earth. Maybe if I knew this person's first name or even how this person looked like, I can find a location," Timmy informed. Aichi began seeing some visions in his dreams, but the guys guessed that he was having a restless sleep. Soon they just left the room after getting bored. Sky and Brandon stayed on guard inside the room.

"Bloom! Turn back…!" Aichi exclaimed.

"Did he just say…?" Brandon asked.

"That's it! I need to find out what the relationship between him and Bloom is!" Sky exclaimed restlessly.

Aichi soon woke up with a startled look. "You're awake?" Brandon asked.

"Sorry if I troubled you and made you stay here," Aichi apologized while pulling himself up to a sitting position. His aura was strong as if something was giving him energy. Brandon turned to Sky as if coaxing him to ask Aichi about Bloom. "Umm… is something wrong?" He asked passively.

"No. Nothing at all," Sky answered angrily.

At that point, Aichi had an idea of what Sky was thinking. "Bloom is a really nice person. She talked to me and gave me advice. I'm lucky to have someone that I can talk about my problems with," he said with a smile. His smile soon faded, he clenched his head in pain.

"Are you alright?" Brandon asked.

"I'm alright," Aichi assured. He released his head after the pain subsided. He looked better than before. Timmy ran into the room.

"Guys, Saladin, and Codatorta wants to have a briefing before tomorrow," Timmy informed. "Oh! Hello, I see you're awake."

"Hello," Aichi greeted. Timmy looked over to Sky to see that he wasn't fully convinced that there was nothing going on between him and Bloom. "So what is happening tomorrow?" Aichi asked to break the silence.

"Oh! We are opening up our new campus tomorrow, so we're having an opening tournament," Brandon explained.

"I guess you should get going before you get in trouble," Aichi said. He slowly got up from the bed and stood up on his feet.

"Should you really be on your feet right now? My calculations tell me that you shouldn't have enough energy yet," Timmy explained.

"I'm fine. I think all I need is some fresh air," Aichi replied. They walked together outside where they were having the meeting. Aichi was alone leaning forward on the railing of the campus.

"Kai…" Aichi muttered while looking up to the sky. He closed his eyes and calmly felt the breeze of the wind.

Soon the conference was over, but Saladin kept the Specialists behind. "How is the boy?" Saladin asked looking over to Aichi.

"I don't know. He seems alright now," Brandon answered.

Codatorta sneakily walked towards Aichi with his sword as if he was going to attack. "Codatorta-" Saladin called when Codatorta began swinging the sword. When the strike was about to hit, Codatorta saw Blaster Blade behind Aichi as a spirit. It was as if Blaster Blade was warning him to stop.

After pausing, Codatorta continued the attack, that was when Aichi deflected it with Blaster Blade's sword after transforming. It was so fast, no one even saw Aichi transform and swing the sword. "That was…" Codatorta said in awe.

Aichi turned his head and had a threatening stare. It was then he noticed what had happened, it was as if Blaster Blade took control for that moment. "I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" Aichi asked releasing the transformation. The armour disintegrated into light which clustered to form a card in Aichi's hand.

"Yes…" Codatorta answered aloofly.

Aichi noticed a cut on Codatorta's arm. Aichi smiled and reached out for his arm. "What are you-?!" Codatorta exclaimed. He moved away slightly, but Aichi took hold of his arm first.

Aichi closed his eyes and focused. The injury closed up and healed completely quickly. "I'm sorry again. It should be completely healed," he apologized. Codatorta wasn't sure how to respond to Aichi after what he saw.

"I was told that you had special powers, but I never would've imagined this," Saladin commented.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," Aichi thanked bowing his head.

"I'm happy to have someone like you at this school," Saladin responded.

"I'm nothing, I'm just a little different from everyone else," Aichi answered before turning around and looking down from the railing again. When he looked up into the sky, his head began to throb. He clenched his head.

"Are you alright?" Brandon asked running to Aichi's side. When he touched Aichi's arm, he heard a voice.

" _We'll be infiltrating Red Fountain first. While we are there, we can take their piece of the codex and the most powerful human soul."_

" _How are you sure that human is at Red Fountain?"_

" _Although we are polar opposites, we have a connection. When he first released his power, it awakened me. Since then, I can sense his power. Ever since I met this human soul, I've been fixated on him. All I want to do is envelope his light with darkness."_

" _Then we were meant to work together after all."_

" _Yes, my friend. He has not fully developed his power, that allows me to weaken him immensely. I guess I should thank the beings of Cray for this. They thought they were being clever when they sealed his powers. However, because of them, when he gets near me for long periods of time, he can barely move. I just need to get rid of one annoying little pest that swore an oath to protect him."_

"The most powerful human soul…?" Brandon muttered. Aichi's headache slowly began to subside. He fell backward into Brandon's arms. Saladin and the others looked at Brandon confused. Brandon simply shook his head.

They took Aichi back inside and into his bed. "So what happened, Brandon?" Sky asked.

"I heard two voices; one was definitely Darkar's but the other seemed to know him personally. More importantly, they are planning an attack tomorrow," Brandon explained.

"Tighten security tomorrow, I know what they are after. I'll have guards by this boy tomorrow," Saladin said.

* * *

The next day, Sky woke up early. For the time being, Aichi stayed in his and Brandon's room. He wasn't sure why he woke up so early, but there was something different in the air. He stood up to see that Aichi was awake looking outside the window. He seemed a little different, he has a distant look in his eyes.

Sky slowly moved closer to see what was happening. Once he heard footsteps, Aichi turned his head slightly to the direction of the sound. It was strange, he had a delayed reaction. Sky felt small and weak while he was in front of Aichi. He was giving out an unusually strong presence, unlike yesterday. "Good morning," Aichi greeted with a smile. The pressure disappeared so suddenly that it surprised Sky.

" _Was that just my imagination?"_ Sky thought. He scratched his head and laughed nervously. "Good morning," he responded nervously.

Aichi turned back to the window. "So… shouldn't you be in bed? You were exhausted yesterday," Sky asked.

"I'm feeling a lot better now. I was looking forward to today, I really hope you all do well," Aichi answered in a darker tone as if he was plotting something. Sky didn't think much about it.

"Well, thanks for the encouragement, but I'm going to get ready now," Sky said nervously. He walked out of the room and took a breath. "Did he always have that intensity around him...?" he asked himself.

Later that morning, Aichi decided to go outside to see the arena. He noticed the guards following him in the shadows. While walking around, Aichi saw the Winx Club and Avalon right outside the gates. "Aichi! How are you fitting in at Red Fountain?" Bloom asked.

"I feel more or less at home," Aichi answered. He was speaking normally again.

"That's nice to hear," Bloom responded happily.

"You must be the boy that I was told about," Avalon guessed. He put a hand on his shoulder. "I see you are a fine young man," he commented.

"Thank you," Aichi thanked slipping in a smug smile.

Avalon smiled. "I was invited to watch in the honour box, so I will gladly accept the offer. I'll see all of you at the party," he informed.

"I thought you were sitting with us," Bloom said sadly.

"Codatorta invited me to sit with him. He has always wanted to meet with me, ever since he found out I was a champion dragon wrangler," Avalon explained.

"That is so cool," Bloom commented.

"So I will see you all later," Avalon said leaving.

"What are all of you going to do before the tournament?" Aichi asked.

"We are going to meet up with guys," Musa answered.

"What are you going to do?" Bloom asked.

"I think I'm going to walk around," Aichi informed.

"I was hoping that we can talk later," Bloom said nervously.

Aichi smiled. "That sounds good. Maybe at the party," he replied. Bloom noticed the difference in his voice and the way he acted. "You should hurry up and meet with your friends. I should really get going," he said before walking away.

"What was his problem? It was like he didn't want to talk to us," Musa asked suspiciously.

"He was different somehow," Bloom agreed.

"It's probably nothing. We should just enjoy ourselves and meet up with the guys," Stella suggested casually.

"Alright then," Bloom said. They walked into the arena. Bloom turned around to look at Aichi before walking inside.

* * *

After a little walking, Aichi walking around the campus. He soon found Faragonda, Griselda, and Wizgiz together. There was no one left in that section of the school because everyone was near the arena. "Oh! Aichi, how were you treated in Red Fountain so far?" Faragonda asked. She cut off her conversation with Griselda and Wizgiz to talk to Aichi.

Aichi smirked. "I'm feeling more or less at home. I just wanted to familiarize myself with the school, so I'm walking around," he answered. Faragonda instantly noticed his tone was different.

"Oh? How about you join us? We're going to watch your classmates battle in the tournament," Faragonda asked suspiciously.

"That is not necessary. I hope all of you have fun at the tournament," Aichi responded before walking away. Suddenly, he was hit by a spell that froze him in place.

"You are not going anywhere, accomplice of Lord Darkar," Faragonda declared.

"Oh, I'm so scared. I'm shaking," Aichi chuckled as negative energy expelled from him and dismantled the spell. The shroud of negative energy made them all feel weakened. They found that they were unable to use magic. "I guess it's about time, I get rid of your chaperons, Sendou," Aichi muttered. He smirked and dark shadows attacked the guards and everyone behind him leaving them unconscious on the ground.

"My plan worked perfectly," Aichi said. He soon reached his destination and looked around as if he was looking for someone. "Darkar, your witches aren't here," he informed sounding impatient.

"I'll search for them, you stay here, Void," Darkar assured.

"I'm not known for my patience, Darkar," Aichi responded with a serious tone.

"They will be here soon," Darkar reminded. After some waiting, the Trix reached the place where Aichi was waiting.

"Where did you think you were?" Aichi asked darkly.

"We don't wait longer than 10 minutes," Icy answered.

"Oh? Really?" Aichi responded smirking. Icy, Stormy, and Darcy suddenly felt a strong pressure and shook. He turned away with hands in his pocket. "Well, shall we get going then?" He asked before beginning to walk inside the school.

" _That pressure…"_ Icy thought. Shadows attacked all of the defending guards and lead the way to the codex.

* * *

As the tournament began, Codatorta received an alert. "The guards that were guarding the boy were found near the outside of the campus," he informed.

"Why was he there?" Saladin asked. Suddenly monsters appeared inside the stadium. "It is like Brandon said! Everyone hurry! We need to protect the codex!" He shouted loudly for everyone to hear.

"Specialists! Go protect the codex!" Saladin ordered seriously.

"We'll go with them," Bloom informed.

"Alisha, Stella, Techna and I will stay here and fight. You guys go and fight the Trix," Musa said.

"Okay, be careful!" Bloom responded. The group ran to the campus looking for the Trix. They soon encountered the Trix and a familiar someone in the hallway.

"Witches!" Sky exclaimed. The Trix and Aichi stopped, and the Trix turned around. Aichi stayed with his back turned.

"Aichi, what are you doing?" Bloom asked surprised.

Aichi turned his head slightly. Bloom was able to see his dull, lifeless eyes. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm here to take the codex," Aichi answered with a deep tone. Bloom could feel the darkness coming out of him.

"What happened to you?" Bloom asked flying closer to Aichi.

"Bloom! Don't get close to that guy! I knew he was bad news when I first saw him," Sky said stopping Bloom.

"No! This isn't him, he's being controlled!" Bloom answered. "Aichi! Where is that knight that protects you?" She asked.

For a moment, light returned to his eyes. He as clearly as he could, lipped something before falling back under Void's control. Bloom flew backward. "If you are planning on just standing there, then I'll just be on my way," Aichi said before turning around and walking away.

"Aichi! Your friends are waiting for you!" Bloom reminded. Aichi stopped for a second with widened eyes. But he was quick to change back.

"I know what you're trying to do. If you don't want to feel the power I possess, I suggest letting us take the codex without any trouble," Aichi said.

"No one is scared of you!" Sky exclaimed. Aichi turned his head to Sky giving him a blank stare.

"You witches go ahead, I feel like playing a little before leaving," Aichi said with a smirk. He turned his entire body to face Bloom and the others with hands in his pockets. The witches went ahead. Everyone tried to go after the witches, but when they got close, their swords and transformations deactivated, and they suddenly felt exhausted.

"I feel so tired…" Flora said.

"So much negative energy… even we can feel it…" Brandon agreed.

"But Aichi was filled with so much light," Bloom pointed out. They were all on the ground, it was like something was keeping them down.

"The bright the light, the darker the shadow. Similar to how Darkar is your opposite, I am this boy's opposite," Aichi explained. He watched a little longer with a smirk on his face before his smirk turned into a frown. When he did, he turned around. "I thought that it would have been more entertaining, but I guess you are all too weak to fight it," he commented sounding disappointed. He turned and began walking in the direction the Trix went.

"Aichi! Wait!" Bloom cried. Aichi didn't even turn back. She mustered the strength to get up from the ground which grabbed Aichi's attention.

"You don't learn your lesson, do you?" Aichi asked as he turned back to the group. A strong power came out of Aichi. The presence of Aichi itself was enough to make anyone shake. They were all thrown to the wall by shadows coming out of Aichi. Aichi turned away again and continued walking.

Once Aichi was far enough away, the shadows released everyone. " _I'm not letting you take me over any longer, Void!"_ Aichi declared before struggling to regain control.

"What can you do? You haven't completely mastered the power hidden inside of you. Do you honestly think you can defeat me without control of your own powers?" Void asked threateningly.

"I don't need to control it to release it," Aichi answered. The surroundings began to get filled with positive energy. Everyone felt it and strength began flowing through them again. The fairy transformations returned and they quickly caught up with Aichi and the Trix. They found Aichi inside the room with the Trix. They all gasped when they saw Aichi's state.

"Oh no!" Flora cried. Aichi was frozen in ice.

"That should keep him from distracting us," Icy said.

"Aichi!" Bloom exclaimed. She tried to use her flames to melt the ice.

"Don't bother, Bloom. He will be frozen there until I release the spell. With the help of Lord Darkar and the Void, it is impossible to melt the ice!" Icy informed.

"I need a vessel to use my power. Unfortunately, Sendou is the only vessel that can endure my power," Void said while inside of the guard's body. They had to watch as the guard's complexioned turned black and bloody.

Everyone gagged while watching the body begin to decompose in front of them. "It's too bad. This vessel could barely stay together long enough to create the seal," Void commented before leaving the body.

The guard fell to the ground lifelessly. " _Cast the nonaggression spell, get the codex, and return with the codex and the boy,"_ Void ordered.

"Fine," Darcy responded. She cast her spell and the Trix turned to the lock to the codex. The lock was a riddle that they had to figure out. To stall for time, Void decided to play a game.

"We need to stop them!" Sky exclaimed.

" _Well, that one seems to be filled with resolve similar to Sendou…"_ Void commented with a chuckle. No one was able to hear him except for the Trix. Void rushed to Sky and entered his body.

Sky began acting strange and everyone felt the negative energy around him. "Sky?" Bloom called while flying towards Sky.

"Your resistance is far too weak to stop me from acquiring complete control," Sky said tauntingly.

"No… Sky!" Bloom cried.

"This boy holds meaning to you, I presume," Sky said. "I can sense that you have strong inner power. Strength is in par with Darkar's. But none the less, you are unable to unlock all that power similar to Sendou," he explained. Sky's body began to deteriorate.

Bloom was quick to hug Sky. "Sky, wake up! You can't let it stay there! Fight it!" She cried.

Sky chuckled and knocked Bloom back.

"Oh, Bloom..." Flora said.

"Whoever you are, release Sky right now!" Timmy demanded. His legs were shaking.

"Too bad. If you had displayed more inner resolve, I just might have released him. The nonaggression spell placed on all of you must be suppressing your resolve as well," Sky commented smirking. He walked to Aichi who was encased in ice. He touched the ice with his darkened hand. "I'll just have to take him back to Shadowhaunt. He'll be weaker there and I will be able to take over him easier," he added looking at Aichi's sealed form.

Brandon tried to attack Sky with his sword, but he was stopped in his tracks before he can reach him. "Damn it!" Brandon cried. He sounded frustrated as he continued trying to swing his sword.

"Humans forget things too easily and their bodies are so frail. Sometimes I wonder what their purpose is in this world," Sky said looking at his hands. "If I were to use my power, this boy's internal structure would fall apart just like that guard that was supposed to protect the codex. This boy is of no use to me, so I wouldn't mind if his body deteriorates, but I would like to see the beautiful look of despair from all of you as you see your friend fall apart in front of your eyes," he explained sadistically.

Bloom got up with tears in her eyes and flew back to Sky. She placed a hand on Sky's face. "Sky, please! You can't leave me...!" Bloom cried.

"It is futile-" Sky began before Bloom suddenly swooped in and kissed him.

 _"I won't let you hurt Bloom!"_ Sky exclaimed struggling to regain control. Void was shocked more than anything and retreated from Sky's body.

 _"I guess there is no point in wasting my strength to keep a weak vessel. It seems that I've stalled enough time, so it must be your lucky day,"_ Void said before leaving completely.

"Sky!" Bloom cried happily. She hugged Sky tightly.

"Sky, are you back?" Brandon asked.

"It seems so," Sky answered holding his head.

"Guys! The Trix have the codex!" Timmy pointed out. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy came out of the codex room with the codex in hand.

"We'll be leaving with the codex and the boy now," Icy said evilly. She held her hand out and the ice around Aichi melted. Aichi fell into her arms unconscious.

"Let him go!" Flora demanded. Aichi slowly opened his eyes, but he wasn't able to move his body much less use his powers.

Brandon ran to the Trix aggressively and knocked Aichi out of Icy's hands. "You're going to give back the codex too!" Sky declared lightly throwing Aichi away from Icy.

"But my nonaggression spell should keep you from-" Darcy exclaimed.

 _"Retreat without the boy. You got the codex, we can retrieve the boy at another time. I think I'll use him some more before taking him back to Shadowhaunt,"_ Void ordered.

"Fine!" Icy responded. She shot a spell towards Brandon and Sky causing them to get thrown back onto the ground as they retreated.

"Sky, are you okay?" Bloom asked concerned as she released her transformation.

Sky smiled. "I'm fine, Bloom. You saved me there," he answered. Flora and Timmy looked at Aichi's condition. Aichi opened his eyes weakly before putting his hand on his chest. Sky, Brandon, and Bloom walked to Aichi and stood to the side with Timmy and Flora.

Aichi cried in pain as a mark appeared at the back of his hand appeared and began glowing. "What is happening?" Brandon asked. Immense energy surrounded Aichi, it was completely out of control.

Bloom watched surprised. She went to her knees and put her hand lightly on his. When their hands made contact, they began glowing. Sky turned away consumed with jealousy and anger.

"Bloom…" Aichi muttered trying to contain his powers. His powers and Bloom's Dragon Flame reacted together causing a card to begin to appear in front of Bloom. As the card began to completely manifest itself, Aichi can feel his power slowly beginning to stabilize again. Aichi took a gasp of relief as the card fell down as a physical card. "Thank you, Bloom... I'm alright now…" he assured. He had a familiar feeling like this has happened before. He saw a blond girl with long flowing hair in Bloom's place and smiled before falling unconscious.

Bloom blushed after noticing that she was holding Aichi's hand. She released his hand before turning to Sky to see that his head was turned away. "Bloom!" Stella exclaimed. She flew to Bloom and hugged her tightly. Meanwhile, Sky walked to the door and left the room. Codatorta was assisting Faragonda into the room.

"Did you kick the Trix butt?" Musa asked enthusiastically.

Saladin, Faragonda, and Codatorta stood beside Aichi and looked at him. "Something took control of him to get the codex. They would've had both the codex and the strongest human soul…" Saladin said. "We can't assure his safety without magic," he acknowledged.

"I understand, I didn't expect Darkar's accomplice to have so much power. I was careless," Faragonda admitted.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them from taking the codex," Bloom apologized.

"There was nothing more you could have done. You shouldn't feel sorry, Bloom," Flora said putting a hand on Bloom's shoulder.

"Maybe it would be safer to keep him at Alfea after all," Saladin suggested. "It may be dangerous to have him in the same place as one of the pieces of the codex, but at least there is a chance that he won't fall into the hands of Darkar," he added.

"That might be a good idea. We might have to create a barrier around him at all times while he's resting," Faragonda thought.

"Everyone go back to the arena and get ready to resume the tournament," Codatora ordered. They all nodded and left Saladin and Codatorta with Aichi.

"Bloom, you should go talk to Sky after the games. He might be feeling jealous after what happened," Brandon suggested. Bloom nodded.

"We'll take him back to Alfea, I am sorry for causing you and Red Fountain trouble," Faragonda apologized.

"It is not a problem," Saladin responded before leaving the room with Codatorta.

Aichi opened his eyes. "You're awake," Faragonda said.

"You must teach Aichi Sendou how to master his powers," Aichi requested in a strange tone. Faragonda was shocked, but then she noticed a mark on the back of his hand was glowing.

"Who might you be?" Faragonda asked.

"My name is Blaster Blade. I reside inside Aichi Sendou to both stabilize his powers and protect him," Aichi explained. "As Aichi Sendou is right now, he cannot resist the overwhelming power of the Void. As long as he cannot control his inner power, he cannot stand up to his opposite," he continued to explain.

"I understand, I will try to teach him all I can," Faragonda agreed.

"I am in debt to you," Aichi thanked before closing his eyes again.

"This boy has been through far too much. But his fate has been bound to this matter since he awakened to such immense power. He was destined to be a sacrifice to summon the ultimate power. That fact exactly will encourage me to protect him and do anything I can to keep him out of Darkar's reach," Faragonda explained to Blaster Blade knowing that he can still hear her. Aichi's mark disappeared soon after.

* * *

 **Happy Birthday, LunaSoraYamiMoonlightCrystal!**

 **I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter! From here on, the story will be heavily focused around Aichi. Just a word of warning.**

 **Anyway, wish LunaSora a happy birthday, and I'll see you next chapter!**


	3. Aichi's Purpose

When Aichi woke up, he found himself sleeping in a bed inside an empty room. He sat up on his bed and looked around. He noticed that he was now back at Alfea. "I'm in Alfea…?" He muttered. He stood up and walked to the door only to get pushed back by an invisible wall when he got close to the door.

"A barrier?" Aichi asked touching the barrier. He felt a familiar power emanating from the barrier. "This barrier is created by my inner power…" he thought. He sighed and walked back to the bed. He waited for Faragonda or anyone to come by.

"Blaster Blade, did you create the barrier?" Aichi asked while looking at Blaster Blade's card.

"Yes. My apologies, my Vanguard. It is the only kind of barrier that can withstand Void's attacks and keep it away," Blaster Blade apologized. Aichi sighed. He knew Blaster Blade was in control of the barrier, so he would be the only one that would be able to deactivate it.

After waiting a little while, the door opened. Blaster Blade made an opening so that Faragonda can walk through. "Ms. Faragonda," Aichi greeted while bowing his head a little to show respect.

"How are you feeling?" Faragonda asked.

Aichi raised his head. "I'm feeling fine. What happened? Why am I in Alfea again?" Aichi responded sounding confused.

"Have you forgotten? You were controlled by a being called Void. While that evil being was in your body, you helped Darkar obtain Red Fountain's piece of the codex," Faragonda explained.

Aichi held his head as he tried to remember. "I did that…? I don't remember anything..." he muttered. "I am really sorry," he apologized. He sounded down.

"You didn't do it of your own will. I understand you would never assist Lord Darkar. However, as a precaution, you will be learning to control your inner power by an experienced teacher at this school," Faragonda explained as Avalon walked into the room. "This is professor Avalon," she said.

"Hello, you must be Aichi. I heard a lot about your predicament, so I am here to help you," Avalon greeted.

"I'll leave you in Professor Avalon's capable hands," Faragonda said before leaving the room. Aichi looked at Avalon cautiously. He felt an unsettling pressure since Avalon walked inside the room.

"I'm going to set up a strong barrier around you. I would like you to release your full power while encased in this barrier. I want you to try to control it so that I can see your situation before moving forward," Avalon explained. Aichi shuddered at the thought of releasing all of his power without Blaster Blade's help to control it.

"I won't be able to control it," Aichi responded sadly. He didn't sound confident in himself at all.

"The first step to controlling your inner power is having confidence that you will be able to control it. You control your powers, they don't control you," Avalon reminded while putting a hand on Aichi's shoulder. "Shall we begin?" He asked.

"Okay," Aichi responded. Avalon created a barrier around him. He touched it in curiosity to find that he couldn't get out.

"It is okay to release your power," Avalon assured. Aichi nodded. He closed his eyes and stood up straight holding Blaster Blade's card. The card began to glow and disintegrate into light particles. At that moment, Aichi's expression turned into an uncomfortable one. When Blaster Blade fully disappeared, a strong wave of powerful positive energy hit the barrier. It made a loud sound as if there was an explosion. The barrier had a large crack on it, so Avalon had to increase the power of it to keep it from being shattered completely. Aichi held his chest trying to control it.

"Find the place your energy resides and focus on that spot!" Avalon commanded. Aichi was trying to search for the spot, but he couldn't find it. The longer he kept his power unrestrained, the more powerful it became and the barrier was almost broken.

"Blaster Blade!" Aichi called. The mark that showed up on the back of his hand reappeared and he fell on the ground exhausted.

"You did well, Aichi. Next time, I will take more of a passive approach to help you find the source of your power," Avalon assured while pulling Aichi up from the ground. He found that Aichi had fallen unconscious. He looked at Aichi's hand and saw Blaster Blade's card. Even while he was unconscious, Aichi was holding on to Blaster Blade's card tightly.

"So, this is the thing Void always calls a pest…" Avalon thought with a snicker. He placed Aichi on his bed and pulled his arm to look at Blaster Blade more closely. "Once he can control his powers a little, if I separate them, he is easy picking…" Avalon thought. He tucked Aichi into his bed before leaving the room.

The barrier around Aichi's room appeared again as Aichi continued to rest in his bed.

After classes, some students caught the rumor that there was a boy living on campus and they wanted to see him. "Did you hear?" One of the girls whispered.

"Do you mean the rumour that there is a boy living in Alfea?" Another girl whispered.

"People say that he can transform," the first girl said. Bloom was walking through the hallways. She wanted to see how Aichi was doing, but she didn't know where he was staying. When she saw Avalon walking in the hallway, she ran to him.

"Professor Avalon!" Bloom called waving while running towards him.

"Oh, Bloom! Is there something you need?" Avalon asked kindly.

"Actually, I was wondering if I can talk to Aichi," Bloom requested.

"Earlier today, I had a session with him to control his powers. After the session, he fainted from exhaustion. I'm not sure if he is well enough to talk to anyone yet," Avalon explained. Bloom looked down. "But, I'll take you to see him," he said.

"Thank you, Professor Avalon!" Bloom thanked happily. They walked to Aichi's room. It was really close to Faragonda's office and the staff quarters. Avalon opened the door to Aichi's room and revealed Aichi laying in bed.

"Aichi, Bloom has come to see you," Avalon informed. Aichi slowly opened his eyes and saw Bloom and Avalon standing right outside the barrier. He stood up and walked to the barrier.

"Hey Bloom," Aichi greeted. He touched the barrier with his hand.

"Aren't you tired of being locked in this room?" Bloom asked.

"Well, I know it's for my own good, and for the safety of everyone in Alfea," Aichi responded with a smile.

"But-" Bloom said.

"In here, Void can't possess me. While I'm in here, the codex and the students will be safe," Aichi added. He smiled softly. "I'll be fine, alright? You should spend some time with Sky, he seems to be the one affected the most since we met," he suggested.

"Also tell him, 'I'm sorry'," Aichi said before turning around and walking back to his bed. "Spend more time with Sky, okay?" He repeated with a smile. He waved his hand to tell Bloom to go.

"I will be back for another session later," Avalon informed before walking with Bloom to the hallway and closing the door behind them.

Aichi sat back on his bed and looked at Blaster Blade. "Toshiki Kai..." He tried to find memories of him, but he couldn't seem to remember.

When it was dark, the door opened and Ms. Faragonda walked inside with a cage of pixies. Aichi sat up on his bed looking a little confused. "Ms. Faragonda, why are you here? And why are the pixies caged?" Aichi asked. Blaster Blade opened the barrier for her to come in and drop off the pixies.

"Someone has cast a homesickness spell on them. We can't allow them to leave and go to their village. Please make sure they stay here," Faragonda requested.

"I'll try," Aichi responded as Faragonda walked out in a hurry.

"Let us out!" Chatta demanded kicking the cage.

"I want to go home," Lockette cried.

"Me too."

Aichi walked to the cage and squatted down. "I'll let you out of the cage, but I can't let you leave this room," he said kindly as he gently opened the cage door. The pixies flew out and tried to leave through the window, but the barrier stopped them.

"We need to go home! Let us out!" Chatta continued shouting. She kicked the barrier multiple times.

"I'm sorry, but even I can't deactivate this barrier," Aichi apologized.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ms. Faragonda and the Winx were talking in her office.

"I left the pixies inside the barrier with Aichi. They will be safe there as long as Aichi's barrier remains up. You were right to stop them from leaving, girls," Faragonda informed. Outside, someone was listening to their conversation.

"What's going on with them?" Flora asked.

"They are under the influence of an ancient homesickness spell. It fills them with an uncontrollable desire to return to their village, but that is all I can tell you," Faragonda explained.

"You can tell us, Ms. F. You think that Lord Darkar is behind this, don't you?" Techna asked.

"Why are you keeping secrets from us when it comes to Darkar? How can we help if we don't know what is going on?" Bloom added.

Faragonda sighed. She knew that she would have to explain it to them someday. "Lord Darkar is after the four pieces of a magical artifact known as the codex," She explained.

"And what does this codex do?" Bloom asked.

"It is the key that allows him to access the most powerful force in the universe," Faragonda answered.

"And there is another part of it in Pixie Village? Is that it?" Allisha asked panicked.

"Where are the others?" Musa added.

"The last pieces are guarded by elder pixies at Cloud Tower, the Pixie Village, and here at Alfea," Faragonda answered.

"And what does Aichi have to do with all of this?" Bloom asked. "Why was Aichi at Shadowhaunt when we first met him?" She added.

"Aichi is a special human. It is already rare for a being from Earth to have any magical powers. But Aichi also happens to have very powerful magical capabilities. To summon the ultimate power, Darkar must sacrifice the most powerful human. Aichi has proven that he is a very likely candidate, and the chances of him being that soul Lord Darkar needs is almost guaranteed. Even if he is not the soul they are looking for, we cannot take the chance. We must ensure he does not fall into Darkar's hands," Faragonda explained.

So he didn't have a choice to be involved in this?" Flora asked sadly.

Faragonda looked out the window. "No, he didn't. If only he was born as a normal Earthling, he would have a peaceful life," she answered with a sigh.

"Shouldn't we let him out of his room so that he can feel better about his situation? Right now, he is just stuck in his room, and all he can only sit there and do nothing," Allisha suggested.

"It is far too dangerous. He might be controlled by that creature called 'Void' again. This 'Void' fellow is masterful at acting and manipulation, so no one would even notice if he was under their control again. With only three pieces left, we can't afford to lose another one or him," Faragonda denied.

"That stinks! At least give the guy something to do while he is stuck in there!" Musa exclaimed.

"That would be a good idea," Faragonda admitted. The Winx began talking amongst each other. "Girls, first, we must cure the Pixies. There is an ancient spell that can cure them, but the spell has been long forgotten. I need all of you to focus on finding the spell," Faragonda ordered.

"Okay, Ms. F!"

* * *

After a while, Lockette got a feeling. She flew to Aichi. "This barrier is channeled to your inner power. If we stop your flow of magic, then we can go home!" Lockette explained excitedly. Aichi held his hands up passively.

"I think it is best to stay here, you'll be safe," Aichi pointed out while nervously taking steps back as the pixies got closer. He soon was at the edge of the barrier near the doorway. The pixies charged their spells as Aichi pressed his back on the barrier. "Please, you have to understand. Do you really think Ms. Faragonda and the Winx would keep you in here for no reason?" Aichi asked.

"He does make a logical point, but we need to get home," Digit said. Suddenly, Aichi felt something stab him in his chest. He looked down and saw that a black spear had stuck through his heart. Dark power quickly began spreading in his body as Aichi fell down in pain.

"What is this…?" Aichi muttered before falling unconscious. The barrier disappeared and the black spear disappeared, leaving no physical wounds. Aichi was left on the ground as his body worked to purify the dark energy that had entered him.

"Pure dark energy without me inside controlling it is poisonous to your soul. That should destroy that silly barrier of yours," Void explained with a chuckle. His chuckle turned into a laugh before he left.

"How did Void get through the barrier…?" Blaster Blade muttered. He turned his head slightly and saw a person in a cloak walk through the hallway with a smirk on their face. "That person… he must have… weakened it…" he identified before also falling unconscious.

* * *

"Aichi! Wake up! You'll be late!" A voice called. Aichi slowly opened his eyes and found himself inside an unfamiliar room. He was in a bed which faced the door. There was an orange haired girl at the door looking impatient. The girl stomped inside his room and pulled his blanket. "Get out of bed! You'll actually be late!" She demanded in a motherly way. Aichi looked at her blankly. She looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on who she was.

The girl pulled Aichi up by pulling his arm. "Are you feeling sick?" She asked sounding concerned. She put her hand on Aichi's forehead and he shied away from the hand.

"No… I'm just fine…" Aichi answered nervously. He looked at the girl more closely. He was trying to identify her because she really did look familiar.

"Are you sure you are okay, Aichi? You look really deep in thought this morning," the girl pointed out confused.

"I'm fine really. Don't worry about it," Aichi assured while shaking his head and waving his hands to create more distance between them.

"Then get changed and come down to eat breakfast with mom and me," the girl said as she walked out the door. Aichi looked around a little longer before standing up.

"Do I have a uniform…?" He asked himself nervously. He opened the closet and found a black and red blazer, a white undershirt, a red tie, and black pants. "I guess this is my uniform…" he said to himself. He put on the white undershirt before tying his tie around his neck. He soon finished changing and opened the door to see a staircase to his left.

He walked down the stairs. "Good morning, Aichi," an older woman greeted.

"Good morning… um..." Aichi responded. He paused to think of who to address her as. He thought of what that girl said to him and she mentioned eating breakfast with "mom". "Mom…" he finished uncomfortably. His mom looked at him confused.

"Are feeling sick?" His mom asked concerned.

"I'm fine," Aichi assured. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't remember anything. He sat down on the unoccupied seat on the dining table with a tray of food set up.

"Thank you for the food," they thanked before he started eating. After he finished eating, he walked to school. When he stepped outside, he looked at the road aloofly trying to think of which way to go. He ended up following his sister to get to the school. Aichi stood outside the school as his sister walked through the gates.

"Aichi, why are you standing there? You'll be late if you don't go in!" She informed while making a 'come here' gesture with her hand to coax him inside. Aichi nodded and walked through the school gates. When he did, he suddenly felt overwhelming dark energy around him.

"What is this?!" Aichi exclaimed panickily. He looked up and noticed the once clear sky was dark, and there was a black ring in the sky above the school. "What is that ring?" He asked himself. It looked really familiar, and he felt a sense of fear while standing under it.

He turned and saw students wearing the same uniform as him walking towards him like zombies. "Are you strong, Aichi Sendou?"

"Huh?!" Aichi exclaimed sounding confused and fearful. He looked up at the sky and saw monsters come out of the ring. All the while, the students around him repeated, "Are you strong?"

"What is all of this?!" He cried as he fell to his knees clenching his head. The zombies were closing in on him.

He turned back to the crowd and saw Kai inside the mass of people. "Why?!" He cried before closing his eyes and shaking his head in denial at what was happening.

"Aichi! Wake up!" A voice called.

"Wake up!" The voice repeated. Aichi opened his eyes and saw Kai standing in front of him. Aichi looked at himself and saw that he was wearing a long black coat with golden shoulder accessories. "Are you okay?" Kai asked concerned.

"Where are we…?" Aichi asked while looking around. They looked to have been in space, since they were able to see the planet Earth in the distance. The structures around them were in ruins and he was sitting on a throne.

"The long nightmare is over, Aichi," Kai said with a smile.

"What does that mean…?" Aichi asked while looking at Kai. The space around them turned dark, and Aichi woke up in his room at Alfea. His chest hurt. "Just a dream…?" He said to himself while taking deep breaths. Ms. Faragonda soon walked into the room. He noticed that there was no longer a barrier around it.

"Ms. Faragonda…" he muttered before trying to get up. But he felt a sharp pain and grunted. He used his hand to clench his chest.

"Don't push yourself. Dark energy entered your body and your body is working to purify it," Faragonda explained. She helped Aichi lay back down and sat at the edge of his bed. "Please, tell me what happened," she requested.

"There was someone in a cloak… Whoever it was, they knew how to weaken the barrier… It was weakened just enough for Void to send a spear of dark energy through the barrier…" he explained. "There shouldn't be anyone that would be able to weaken the barrier unless they have analyzed my power thoroughly…" he added.

Faragonda thought about the information that he had given her. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm alright… I just need some rest…" Aichi answered with a pained smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect the pixies. Are they alright?" He asked.

"They are fine. The girls found the pixies just in time before they walked into their village," Faragonda answered.

"That's a relief..." Aichi said with a breath of relief.

"You should get some more rest. The staff and I will ensure your safety until you have enough strength to create your barrier again," she assured. Aichi nodded before closing his eyes. Faragonda began walking to the door.

* * *

After two days of rest, Aichi was feeling much better. Ms. Faragonda had asked him to join the Winx at their special class in the Magical Reality Chamber. "Ms. Faragonda, why am I here?" Aichi asked. He stood inside of a control room with the Ms. Faragonda. He stood in front of complicated equipment confused. The Winx were being briefed about what was going to happen on the platform inside the chamber by Palladium and Jared.

"The Winx are learning magic convergence. I wanted you to watch the Winx while they are inside the Magical Reality Chamber. I hoped that you would learn something from watching them," Ms. Faragonda explained.

"Learn something?" Aichi asked while looking down.

"Is something the matter?" Faragonda asked.

Aichi shook his head. "No, I am thankful for all you've done for me. It's just that I understand the situation… I know that my purpose is to be sacrificed to summon an overwhelmingly strong power," he explained.

"That isn't your only purpose, Aichi," Faragonda said using an adult tone.

"I have no memories. That is the only purpose for my life that I know…" Aichi explained.

"Aichi, don't think of your life like that," Faragonda responded. She held onto Aichi's arm with her hand. Aichi looked away sadly. "How about I arrange a trip to Earth for you? I'll have Bloom go with you," she suggested.

"I don't want to disturb her studies…" Aichi responded.

"Bloom had just mentioned that she wanted to return to Earth. It would not be a problem," Faragonda assured.

"Thank you, Ms. Faragonda," Aichi thanked.

"Maybe you can discover some parts of your past if you return to Earth," Faragonda said with a smile.

"I hope so!" Aichi responded excitedly. They watched as Palladium and Jared walked outside the platform signaling that it was time to begin.

Aichi stepped to the side to let Faragonda explain everything. "I'm going to send you to an extreme environment; an uninhabitable desert realm. You'll need to magic converge in order to get out, and you can't use any other spells. Is everyone ready?" Faragonda explained. Palladium and Jared walked inside of the room.

"We're ready!' The Winx answered as the machine turned on. Faragonda, Aichi, Jared and Palladium watched the screen and noticed that they weren't in the desert.

"Girls! Can you hear us?!" Palladium asked in panic.

As Faragonda and Palladium were trying to deal with the situation, Aichi noticed how calm Jared was throughout the situation. "Aren't you concerned for their safety?" Aichi asked Jared with serious eyes. He felt an evil miasma around Jared.

"Yes… of course, I am…" Jared answered with a big smirk across his face. He jumped onto Aichi and began strangling him. Faragonda and Palladium turned as they were getting the exit code ready. Aichi was struggling, Blaster Blade's sword and armor materialized, but Jaren made sure to have a foot stepped on Aichi's right arm.

"Jared, release him right this instant!" Palladium demanded. Aichi's armour slowly disappeared as he began losing consciousness.

"I will… but... I've made arrangements for his transport to Lord Darkar and Void," Jared answered as Icy and Stormy broke inside. Aichi soon lost consciousness.

"Palladium, send the exit code. I will deal with them," Faragonda ordered.

"Oh, we are so scared. We are shaking in our boots," Icy joked before sending sharp icicles to Faragonda. At the same time, Jared carried Aichi's unconscious body up from the ground. There were red marks around Aichi's neck that shows just how much force Jared used to strangle him.

Faragonda created a barrier to block the icicles from hitting her, Palladium, and the equipment. She sent a fire blast at each of the witches and Jared. The witches blocked the attacks, but Jared was hit by it. He fell on the ground, dropping Aichi in the process. Faragonda carefully used her magic to bring Aichi to her side. At that point, Palladium finished sending the code and was ready to help Faragonda. He conjured up a light sword.

Meanwhile, the Winx were in the process of using convergence to defeat the monster that Darcy created.

"I suggest a tactical retreat," a voice suggested to the witches, but no one else heard it.

"Let's go," Icy ordered before disappearing with Stormy. Palladium turned to give the final instructions to the Winx as Faragonda broke the spell on Jared.

When the Winx destroyed the monster and returned back, Aichi woke up. He was laying on the floor comfortably. "Good job, girls! A Plus! That was convergence!" Faragonda exclaimed full of energy.

Aichi sat up while holding his neck. "Ms. Faragonda…? What happened?" He asked.

"Are you feeling okay? I'm really sorry for strangling you, I didn't mean-" Jared apologized nervously.

Aichi shook his head with a smile. "I know you were controlled by someone. I know how it feels to do something regrettable against your will. It's alright, I'm just fine," he responded with a smile.

Jared held his hand out to help Aichi onto his feet. "Thank you," he thanked in relief after hearing Aichi accept his apology. Aichi took his hand and Jared pulled him up onto his feet. Jared saw the dark red strangle marks on his neck and looked down.

"I really am sorry," Jared repeated.

"No, it really is okay. It wasn't your fault," Aichi answered sincerely.

"Oh! I have to go talk to Musa. I'm really sorry again, there is nothing I can do to deserve your forgiveness," Jared apologized again before leaving the room. The Winx had already left the building and he wanted to catch up to Musa.

Aichi looked down and sighed. "Is something wrong, Aichi?" Faragonda asked.

"The more he explained how he felt, the more realistic what I did at Red Fountain feels. I helped Lord Darkar get Red Fountain's piece of the codex. I guess I deserve what happened today for what I did. Strangely, I feel like some weight on my shoulders has been lifted, but I know I can't change anything from the past. I know that getting hurt doesn't make up for what I did, so I am going to make things right. I need to stop Void and Lord Darkar," Aichi explained. His voice was filled with resolve.

"Ms. Faragonda, I want to control the power within me," Aichi requested.

"I want you to go to Earth with Bloom the day after tomorrow to see what memories you can find," Faragonda said seriously.

"My memories…?" Aichi asked confused.

"When you run into a bad situation where it feels like there is no hope, you will find the power to resist by holding onto those strong memories," Faragonda explained.

"Okay, I'll try to find those memories," Aichi answered with a smile.

"Don't try to find them, they will return when you least expect them," Faragonda said. "You should go to the infirmary to have the nurse look at your injuries," she suggested.

"It's alright, I'll be fine. I wouldn't want to trouble her," Aichi responded. "Thank you, Ms. Faragonda. I really do appreciate everything you have done for me," he thanked with a warm smile before walking outside.

"It is unfortunate that he was pulled into this by destiny," Faragonda said to herself. Aichi stood outside of the door for a second before leaving.

"My memories… Blaster Blade…?" Aichi called as he walked through the hallway.

"What is it, my Vanguard?" Blaster Blade responded.

"Will I find this Toshiki Kai when I visit Earth?" Aichi asked.

"You just might," Blaster Blade answered. "Distance might be a factor in whether you meet him or not, but you have many allies by your side," Blaster Blade explained.

"I can't remember any of their names… I can't even create an image of their faces. But I have a feeling deep inside that yearns to meet them again," Aichi said as he held his chest. He walked inside of his room.

"My Vanguard, you will meet them again and recover your lost memories," Blaster Blade assured.

"Why did this happen…? Why is a huge chunk of my memories missing…?" Aichi asked before falling to the ground. There was a pain in his chest. "How can I forget something as important as this…?" He cried.

"While you were held hostage by Void and his acquaintance, you were constantly exposed to powerful dark energy. That wore away on his senses and after staying long enough, your memories began fading away," Blaster Blade explained. "You may be able to salvage the memory of receiving me from someone. Can you see who that person was?" Blaster Blade asked.

Aichi thought hard. He remembered how he was always bullied when he was young. He remembered all the bad times, but nothing else. "I was always beaten up by the other kids and I would always walk home alone with scuff marks on my face…" he remembered.

"One day, it was different. I was beaten up as usual, but something happened to change my life," Aichi remembered. Aichi's eyes widened when he noticed just how much of his memory was missing. "I can't remember when or how I met you…" he muttered. He looked at Blaster Blade's card and flipped it to see the back side.

"I've never noticed this… what is CardFight! Vanguard?" Aichi asked.

"It is a card game. You have many good memories of this game. You are one of the best in the world; you won the Asian Circuit and saved the world from getting destroyed by Link Joker," Blaster Blade answered.

"I did that…? I can't remember any of that…" Aichi responded sadly. "I want to remember everything. I feel so much warmth when I think about it," he said with a smile as the pain in his chest subsided.

Bloom walked to Aichi's room door and heard him talking. "Is he talking to Blaster Blade?" She thought.

"You can come in!" Aichi informed invitingly. Bloom was a little surprised, but she then opened the door and walked inside. Aichi was sitting on his bed. "Is there something you need?" He asked kindly.

"I just wanted to talk about the trip we're going on... you know... going back to Earth," Bloom answered.

"We should go wherever you want to go first," Aichi insisted.

"Is it really okay?" Bloom asked concerned. "I mean, you really want to recover your memories, right?" She added nervously.

Aichi smiled. "Thank you for your consideration, but I'm not even sure if I would be able to remember anything. It is best if we get what you need to get done first," he explained.

"Do you know where you want to go?" Bloom asked.

Aichi thought. "All I really remember is living in Japan. If I meet someone that knows me, I'll be able to remember something," he answered holding his chin.

"You lived in Japan? That sounds really cool! But I don't really know any languages other than English," Bloom commented with an embarrassed laugh.

"It's alright, I know how to speak Japanese," Aichi assured. "The only thing is that I don't really remember where in Japan I lived," he said sadly.

"How do you know you lived in Japan?" Bloom asked.

"The few memories that I have that are pretty clear, the people around me were speaking in Japanese. So I just assumed that I lived in Japan," Aichi answered sounding unsure. "I'm sorry. Even if we go to Earth, I might waste your time," he apologized.

Bloom held her hands up passively. "No, it's alright. It would be an exciting trip just visiting a foreign country," she responded excitedly.

"Thank you again, Bloom," Aichi thanked happily.

Bloom looked closely at Aichi's warm smile. When she noticed that she was just staring at him, she jumped. "Oh! Well, I guess I should get going. It's almost dinner," she said nervously.

"Alright, bye," Aichi responded as Bloom left. Aichi laid on his bed and soon fell asleep. He was still a little light headed from getting strangled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bloom walked to the cafeteria. The Winx were already there with their food. Bloom soon joined them with her food, she didn't say anything making them worried. She was just deep in thought.

The Winx looked at each other concerned, they were trying to coax each other to ask Bloom what was on her mind. "Is something wrong Bloom?" Flora asked with a concerned tone.

"I guess," Bloom sighed using her fork to move her food around her plate. The other Winx looked at each other again.

"Come on, Bloom. Tell us what's on your mind," Stella demanded enthusiastically.

"It's just that I really want to get to know Aichi. He is the only person that lived in Earth here, and nobody, not even himself really know who he is. I don't know why, but I really want to help him get his memories back. But I'm not even sure where to start," Bloom explained. She looked defeated.

Tecna pulled out her portable device. "Actually, Bloom. I searched the webs and found some information on him," she informed. She opened the hologram and some articles appeared. Some titles being:

"Surprising win! Team Q4 wins the CardFight! Vanguard National Tournament this year!"

"Team Q4 Leader, Aichi Sendou leads his team to victory in the Asian Circuit!"

"Mysterious Link Joker invasion stopped by Aichi Sendou!"

"Wow! There are a lot of articles on him!" Stella exclaimed without even reading any of the titles.

"What is CardFight! Vanguard?" Flora asked curiously.

"I think I heard one or two people at the school I went to on Earth mention it. All I know is that it's a card game, but other than that I'm clueless," Bloom answered sadly.

"Well whatever it is, Aichi seems really good at it. I pinpointed the headquarters of this Team Q4 and it seems to be a building on a street in Japan," Tecna explained while changing to a different window to show the location on a map to Bloom.

"Thank you, Tecna! That will really help! Ms. Faragonda told me that she'll let Aichi and me return to Earth the day after tomorrow," Bloom informed.

"Wait, just you two?! Wouldn't that be more of a date?" Stella teased.

Bloom blushed a little. "No, it's not like that. Plus, Sky and I are finally in a solidified relationship," she answered.

"Aw, man! I want to go to Earth, after all the studying and battling we had to do, I would be nice to sit back and relax," Aisha exclaimed.

"But I needed to get special permission to leave the realm," Bloom responded.

"Oh! Come on! That's just a formality!" Aisha answered. She sounded like she really wanted to go.

"If you're talking about skipping class, sign me up! I can't deal with school anymore!" Stella said enthusiastically.

"Can we really do that?" Flora asked nervously.

"You can skip two classes per term," Lockette informed.

"So can we tag along? I mean, if we come along, Sky wouldn't be worried," Stella said teasingly.

"I guess, but Earth isn't the most exciting place to go," Bloom answered nervously.

"What are you talking about?! It's the place that gave the universe platform shoes! That's exciting in my books!" Stella exclaimed before daydreaming.

"And I heard you guys have the best music!" Aisha added dancing in her seat.

"Second best, actually," Musa corrected. "But I wouldn't mind going there to hear the newest tunes," she added.

"I guess it is settled then! All of us are going to Earth!" Stella cheered sounding excited.

"Um… I'll just stay here. I have something to do that day," Flora informed blushing. Everyone had an idea. what she was going to do.

* * *

Hey guys!

It's been a little while, but here is a new chapter done and edited! I hope you enjoyed it! School is starting soon, so uploads will be slower. Happy Labour Day by the way! Or the last day of freedom for some of us, however you want to think of it!

Anyways, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	4. Memories

Two days later, Bloom, Stella, Aisha, Musa, and Aichi went to Gardenia. They were on a bus heading to Bloom's house. Aichi was sitting on a seat at the side of the group. The Winx were talking to each other while he was staring blankly outside the window.

"This is Bloom's hometown… it has a refreshing atmosphere," Aichi thought happily. After passing a stoplight, the bus ran into traffic. Aichi looked at the stores on the other side of the sidewalk.

He noticed that the store had a television inside. The television inside of what seemed to be a card shop showed some kind of card fight on the screen. After taking a closer look at one of the people fighting, he recognizes the person as Kai. "Kai…?" Aichi muttered as he placed a hand on the window and leaned forward. Bloom noticed how Aichi was incredibly focused on that card shop as they drove past.

"Did he remember something?" Bloom asked herself. The bus soon reached another stop. It stopped to pick up more people. Aichi saw that an elder lady walked inside and saw that there were no seats left.

"Here, take my seat," Aichi insisted as he stood up. He helped the elderly lady onto the seat.

"Thank you," she thanked.

"No problem," Aichi responded with a warm smile.

"Hey, isn't that Aichi Sendou?" One of the children that just entered whispered.

"It looks like him, but why is he in Gardenia," the other child answered quietly. They both held their decks with anticipation. Aichi was too deep in thought visualizing what was on the television screen to notice them.

"Um…" the first boy said nervously. Aichi turned around to see the boy holding a deck. "Are you Aichi Sendou?" He asked while fidgeting with his deck.

"Well, that's my name," Aichi answered while scratching his face sheepishly.

"It's really him! Um...! Can we have a card fight?" The second one asked excitedly.

"Um… I don't have my deck with me right now. I'm sorry," Aichi apologized. He was trying to sound like he didn't have amnesia.

"Oh…" the boys said together sadly. They looked down on the ground with a disappointed look when the bus suddenly stopped making the boys slipped. Aichi caught them before they could fall on the ground.

"Are you two alright?" Aichi asked panicked. They nodded. "I'm happy you're not hurt," he said with a relieved smile.

"Thank you! You're just as cool as we thought you would be!" They exclaimed with brightened faces as they held onto the pole Aichi was holding.

Soon Aichi and the Winx got out of the bus. Aichi waved with a smile at the boys who waved back at him enthusiastically. "Do you guys just want to meet up here?" Bloom asked.

"Sure," Musa answered.

Aichi and Bloom walked away together separating from the others. "What you did on the bus was really cool," Bloom commented. Aichi turned to her confused.

"What was cool?" Aichi asked confused.

"You gave your seat to someone who needed it and caught those boys before they fell on the ground," Bloom explained. They both never noticed that there was a photographer taking pictures of them.

Aichi followed Bloom to her house's front door. She knocked on the door and waited for her mom to open it. "Is it alright if I go inside?" Aichi asked as they waited.

"It's fine," Bloom assured with a smile. The door soon opened and Bloom's mother stood at the doorway.

"Oh, Bloom! You're back so soon! If you told me sooner, I would've prepared food for you," Bloom's mother scolded in a motherly way. She soon noticed Aichi standing at the side. "Is this a new friend?" She asked.

"Hello, my name is Aichi Sendou. It is really nice to meet you," Aichi greeted while bowing his head slightly to show respect.

"Mom, get this! Aisha found him inside a place called Shadowhaunt and-" Bloom began but her mother paused what she was about to say.

"How about we talk about this inside? We shouldn't make a guest stand outside," Bloom's mother suggested.

"No, it's really fine. I don't mind-" Aichi assured before Bloom took Aichi's arm and pulled him inside.

Aichi looked at Bloom with a surprised look. "Come on, come in," Bloom insisted.

Aichi stepped inside of the house and looked around. "This is a really nice house," he commented happily. "I'm sorry for the intrusion," he said.

"You're such a polite young man. Where are you from?" Bloom's mom asked sounding intrigued.

"Japan, I think," Aichi answered scratching his head. Bloom's mom looked at Aichi confused.

"Aichi has amnesia, mom. He can't remember that kind of stuff," Bloom informed. "We found him in Shadowhaunt and he already didn't know about his past. Ms. Faragonda says that he lost his memories because of the extreme exposure to negative energy," she explained further.

"That sounds terrible, I am sorry to hear that," her mother said sadly.

"No, it's alright! Bloom is actually trying to help me get some of my memories back, so I'm really grateful to your daughter," Aichi responded.

"Do you mind if I can talk to my mom alone, Aichi?" Bloom asked.

"I don't mind," Aichi responded.

"Take a seat. Make yourself at home," Bloom said happily.

"Thank you," Aichi thanked before sitting down on the couch in the living room. Bloom and her mother walked into the kitchen to talk. Aichi looked at the television in front of him and thought about what he saw on the television again. "I want to meet Kai…" he said to himself.

Lockette heard Aichi and flew to him. He looked up at her. She circled around him curiously. "Is something wrong, Lockette?" Aichi asked.

"I don't understand why I can't look inside your heart," Lockette answered.

Aichi smiled. "I showed you inside my heart before," he said while holding out his hands in front of his chest. His chest began glowing a bright warm light. "I have a friend protecting the path to my heart," he informed as the light disappeared. Lockette put her hand on his head.

"What are you doing?" Aichi asked calmly.

"I'm finding the path to your memories," Lockette answered while focusing. Aichi also closed his eyes and allowed her to explore. When Lockette found his memories, she was deflected by a strong dark energy. "There is such strong dark energy blocking the path to your memories," she said surprised.

"It's alright. Thank you for trying to help, Lockette," Aichi thanked while patting her head. He looked around the room, he seemed uncomfortable just sitting there.

"I'll see if Bloom is done talking to her mom," Lockette suggested.

"You don't have to bother them-" Aichi assured, but Lockette already flew away. He sighed and looked around the room. He heard a thump and looked down to see Kiko. "Oh, hello. You're Bloom's rabbit," he identified. He scratched Kiko's head.

Through the window, Mitzi was walking past Bloom's house when she suddenly saw Aichi sitting in Bloom's living room playing with Kiko. Bloom soon walked into the scene and Mitzi walked closer to the window to hear what they were saying. She hid just under the window's glass. "Sorry for making you wait," Bloom apologized.

"No, it's nothing. I didn't mind waiting, you could have talked with her more. We'll be spending tomorrow with me anyway. I'm sorry to take time out of your schedule, you're missing a lot of classes," Aichi responded.

"Spend tomorrow with him?!" Mitzi thought curiously.

"You don't have to say it like that. It's going to be fun, Tecna did some searching and found a certain place in Japan that might bring back some of your memories," Bloom informed.

Aichi looked excited. "Thank you, Bloom. I'm really happy," he responded.

"We should check on everyone. How about going to the mall first to find Stella?" Bloom suggested.

"That sounds good," Aichi agreed as he stood up from the couch.

"Mom! I'm going out!" Bloom informed.

"Okay. Thank you for coming, Bloom," her mom thanked.

"Thank you for the hospitality," Aichi thanked while bowing before leaving.

They opened the door to see Mitzi right outside the door. "Bloom, is this your new boyfriend? You said you had plans of going to Japan with him?" She asked.

"Mitzi! He's not my boyfriend!" Bloom responded angrily.

"Really now? Going to another country with a guy that isn't your boyfriend? What are you going to do there?" Mitzi asked evilly.

"He-!" Bloom began before Aichi stepped forward. "Aichi…?"

"You must have misunderstood. Bloom is going to help me get my memories back. So we are going to Japan with the rest of the Winx to find them," Aichi explained with a soft tone. Mitzi looked frozen in confusion. "If you would excuse us now," he said before walking away. Bloom followed along leaving Mitzi back there sounding angry.

Aichi took a breath of relief. "I'm sorry if that was awkward for you," Bloom apologized.

"It's okay. We should find Stella and the others," he responded. They turned into the main street and Aichi followed Bloom to the mall which was close by.

"This mall is big, we should split up and look for her," Bloom suggested.

"Alright. That sounds efficient. How about you check the second floor and I'll check the first?" Aichi asked.

"Okay," Bloom agreed before going up the escalator and up to the second floor. Aichi stayed at the bottom and looked around there. There were a lot of people in the mall, but if Stella was ever in his field of vision he would notice her.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion sound. Everyone in the mall panicked and began running to the exits. "Um... Excuse me," Aichi said as he tried not to get pushed by the crowd. He moved to the wall so that he couldn't get pushed as easily. When the huge crowd had passed, Aichi found Bloom and Stella in their fairy forms fighting with Icy, Stormy and Darcy.

"What are they doing here?" Aichi asked himself before pulling out Blaster Blade's card. The card disintegrated and materialized into his armour and sword. He ran in front of Stella and blocked an attack sent by Icy.

"Just what we wanted," Icy chuckled. Bloom and Stella were pushed away from Icy and Aichi as they continued their fight.

"Why are you here?" Aichi asked while slicing another ice attack while jumping towards her.

"Void has a strange fixation on you and we need you to summon the ultimate power, so you're coming with us," Icy explained. Aichi knew she didn't explain fully, but he backed away landing on the ground. When his feet touched the ground the floor suddenly froze his feet to the ground.

Aichi tried to get out of the frozen ice that was slowly spreading up his legs. He tried to break it with his sword, but it wasn't working. "Sendou, I hope you enjoyed your freedom. You'll be coming back to Shadowhaunt now," someone informed. He turned to where the voice came from and saw a casual adolescent man standing on the second floor of the mall.

"Void! Release that boy right now!" Aichi demanded. He wanted to force Void out of that body, but he couldn't do anything. The ice kept him in place as Icy flew down. Aichi used all of his arm strength and threw his sword at Void hoping it would force Void out of the boy. Void laughed and caught the sword easily and stabbed it into the ground.

"What did you think that would accomplish? You are not in a position to be making demands," Void responded before jumping down from the second floor and landing on the first floor.

"Why isn't it breaking?" Aichi asked himself panicked as Icy got closer.

"The ice is linked to my power. Similar to how your barrier is linked to your inner power. However, my powers are much stronger than yours," Void explained. "With this, you will never get to meet your friends and retrieve your memories!"

"My memories…" Aichi muttered lowly while looking down at the ground. Suddenly, he heard something on the television in the store that he was right beside. He couldn't see what was on the screen, but the voice that was speaking... he recognized well. At that point, it was like time stopped and all he could hear was the show.

"Who would you like to battle next after winning the Euro League, Kai?"

"I want to return to Japan to fight my longtime friend and rival again," Kai answered happily.

"Your longtime friend and rival you say?"

"Yes, we started a long journey together and we overcame a lot of obstacles. He taught me about myself and against all odds helped me whenever I needed it," Kai answered.

"And who is this fighter?"

"His name is Aichi Sendou; he is a stubborn and impulsive guy, but no one is more passionate about card fighting than him. He treats everyone with respect and kindness. You can always count on him to make a decision that benefits the everyone, even if he has to take all the burden onto himself," Kai explained.

"Well, he sounds like a great friend to you. We are running out of time, so how about you tell our viewers about what you're going to do tomorrow?"

"I would like to go back and have a passionate fight with him again. So Aichi, if you are out there watching this, you better be ready!" Kai explained. Aichi revealed a bright smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Icy asked annoyed.

"No, it's nothing. Even if I told you, I don't think you'd understand," Aichi responded happily as the area became filled with positive energy. Blaster Blade's armour disappeared, and the ice encasing his feet began disappearing too. In the other battle, Stella and Bloom were getting overwhelmed by Stormy and Darcy, but Aichi's positive energy weakened the witches and strengthened their Winx. Additionally, Void was forced out of the boy's body before there would be permanent major damage to his body.

"What is this?! How did you master your powers?!" Void exclaimed.

"I haven't yet, but I will. I was just given the strength and courage to push forward by my best friend," Aichi said while turning to the television that had Kai trying to smile sincerely and waving to the camera.

"Let's retreat, we can't fight in this positive space!" Void ordered. Void didn't sound happy. The witches disappeared as Bloom and Stella released their transformations. The positive field of energy disappeared as well.

"Wow, Aichi! That was really cool," Bloom commented.

"Thank you," Aichi thanked. A light shone from above and a card dropped down into Aichi's hand.

"What is that?" Bloom asked.

"It's Blaster Blade," Aichi answered. He flipped the card around to let Bloom see the Blaster Blade Exceed card. Aichi looked around. "Luckily nothing was damaged during the fight. Are you both alright?" He asked.

"Do we look alright? Of course, we're alright!" Stella answered.

"Alright, we should find Musa and Aisha then," Aichi suggested.

"But we don't know where they could be," Bloom said while thinking carefully.

"They went near a club last time I saw them. They wanted to go in. I wasn't interested, so I just went back to the mall," Stella explained.

"Clubs at this hour are really sketchy. Where is it?" Bloom asked urgently.

"I'll take you there, but there is probably nothing wrong," Stella answered confidently.

Bloom and Aichi followed Stella to the club. When they got to the area, they maintained a safe distance away. There were some purple haired men wearing the same clothes standing in front of the doors. They looked like they were standing guard. "Something isn't right," Aichi commented eavesdropping as another man came out of the entrance.

"Make sure no one gets in or out of here."

"Are they still in there?" Bloom wondered.

"I don't know where else they would be," Stella answered.

"Do you know any good invisibility spells?" Bloom asked Stella. Stella shook her head.

"Alright, I'll try out a new trick then. You two stay here," Aichi ordered before walking towards the entrance.

"What is he going to do?" Stella asked. Bloom shrugged. Aichi held out his hand and a sword appeared. But the sword looked different, it was glowing and pale blue.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if my friends were in there. They are both girls and they aren't from around here," Aichi asked politely.

One of the guards walked up to Aichi taking sluggish steps and looked Aichi closely face-to-face. "Sorry, tough guy. No one is allowed to enter," he responded.

"I'm sorry for this," Aichi apologized quietly before taking his sword and stabbing the man. It was like the two couldn't see it. The stabbed man didn't look like he was in pain, it was more like he went limp and fainted.

Aichi caught him and placed him safely on the ground. "Hey! Who do think you are punk?!" As the other proceeded to attempt to punch him. Aichi also stabbed him and left him unconscious there too.

"Wow! What was that?!" Bloom exclaimed surprised.

Aichi turned to them before signaling that he was going in. He quietly walked into the club and saw that Musa was being held by one guy while Aisha was getting ganged up by seven of them. "This might wear me out a little," he thought as he looked over the situation.

He took a breath before walking into the main club room. He was immediately noticed because of his strong presence. "Who are you, punk?! How did you get passed our bros?"

"That isn't important. Release them right now and you won't be in trouble!" Aichi warned. Aisha and Musa saw Aichi's sword, but the others couldn't.

"Who do you think you are? There are eight of us and one of you!" One of them foolishly charged at Aichi. He was stabbed by the sword and fell unconscious. To everyone one else that couldn't see the sword, it was like he was running then suddenly fainted.

"What did you do to him?!" Three of them got off of Aisha and charged at Aichi. He slashed them with ease and they all fell unconscious.

"Anyone else or will you release them?" Aichi asked trying to hide his heavy breaths.

"I think that is quite enough," a voice said from the stairwell. Faragonda, Griselda, Bloom and Stella walked into the room, and all the men fainted on the ground after Faragonda and Griselda said a spell.

"Ms. Faragonda!" The Winx cheered relieved.

"Girls, we will talk about disciplinary actions in my office when we return to Alfea. But I would like to speak with Aichi alone for the time being," Faragonda explained.

"Okay, Ms. F. But did Aichi do something wrong?" Bloom asked. She sounded slightly guilty.

"No. Just return to Alfea for now, Bloom," Faragonda ordered. The Winx and Griselda teleported back to Alfea leaving Aichi and Faragonda alone.

"Let us speak somewhere privately," Faragonda suggested. Aichi nodded nervously. He didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was because of his new power. They were teleported to her office at Alfea.

"What did you want to talk about?" Aichi asked curiously.

"You will know soon, but please put away that sword first. That sword is extremely powerful and dangerous. It should not be waved around in a whim," Faragonda said. Aichi didn't notice that he still had the sword in his hand. He held the sword facing downwards and it disintegrated into light particles.

"Do you understand the danger you were in when you summoned that sword?" Faragonda asked.

"Yes, it is connected to my inner energy. When a person is stabbed by it, there won't be a physical wound. But since it is directly accessing my inner energy, those with darkness in their heart falls unconscious because some of my energy enters them and overwhelms them," Aichi explained.

"That is correct, but if that sword ever enters a body that is filled with darkness, your inner light will get contaminated with darkness and you'll be in a great deal of pain," Faragonda responded.

"I understand your concern. I am not foolish enough to use it around Darkar or Void," Aichi assured.

"Aichi, I don't want you to use it at all. You may regenerate your own energy, but if enough of your energy enters a body that can't endure such power, they might end up in a life critical situation," Faragonda explained.

"Okay. I promise I won't use it ever again," Aichi promised.

A mark appeared on Aichi's hand, which startled him. "That is a little spell to make sure you keep your promise. If you ever break your promise and summon that sword, you will be transported back to Alfea," Faragonda explained.

"Okay. If that is necessary," Aichi responded.

"You should get some rest for now," Faragonda suggested. Aichi nodded and bowed his head before walking to the exit.

"Oh, and Aichi," Faragonda said. Aichi turned back to hear why she needed. "I'm sorry, but I will be canceling the second day of your Earth excursion. I must discipline the girls. I hope you understand," she apologized.

Aichi didn't look too happy, but he smiled. "It's alright. I found something to fight for. That should take me far enough for now," he responded while remembering what Kai said in the talk show.

He walked inside of his room and found that there was new furniture set up inside. There was a computer desk with what looked like a high tech computer, there was a couch at the side of the room, his closet was filled with different clothes. There was just so much new. Aichi was truly surprised.

"Do you like it? Tecna brought all the technology in. Flora put the plants, Stella designed the layout and chose all the clothes, Musa inputted the entire Earth's musical library on the computer. I didn't really do much, but I helped Stella make it look more like home on Earth," Bloom explained from behind. The Winx were standing behind her.

"It looks really nice. Thank you, everyone," Aichi responded in awe. He looked so happy, he was about to tear up.

"Girls, Headmistress Faragonda is ready for you," Griselda informed impatiently.

"Looks like we'll be in for it."

Aichi walked into his newly renovated room after saying goodbye. After stepping in the barrier appeared once more.

"Hey, Blaster Blade," Aichi called.

"What do you need, My Vanguard?" Blaster Blade asked.

"That time… when the barrier was weakened by something allowing Void to pierce a spear through me… I know they wanted the pixies to be released, but how did they manage to get through the barrier in the first place?" Aichi asked curiously.

"There is a single point in the barrier that is the channel to your inner energy. But it is always moving at a very fast speed all around barrier providing the barrier full energy. That person would have had to know where that point would be and the exact time it would be there and stop it from continuing to move," Blaster Blade explained.

"But how did they know when and where?" Aichi asked.

"That is the mystery, My Vanguard. I was also unable to get a clear image of the silhouette. I apologized I cannot be of more help," Blaster Blade apologized.

"It's alright. Thank you for the information, Blaster Blade," Aichi thanked. He walked to the computer desk and tried to figure out how to work it. It didn't take him long to figure out how to use it like a regular computer.

He opened the web browser and searched up his name. He saw articles about the CardFight! Vanguard Asian Circuit, VF High School Championships, and the Link Joker invasion. He found a video of an interview at his graduation.

Aichi looked at the video, he looked a little nervous. "I am joined here at Miyagi Academy with Aichi Sendou, the boy that led this high school to victory in the VF High School Championships. How are you feeling after graduating, Sendou?"

"I don't really know how I feel. It is great to hit a big milestone, but I think I'll miss everyone from my class, the teachers, and the Cardfight Club," Aichi answered.

"What are your plans moving forward? I know everyone is interested to hear them."

"After a lot of thinking, I decided to go to university so that I can learn more about what's out there. I know Planet Cray exists and I hope one day I can find it," Aichi explained.

"Which university would you go to and which program?"

"I'm going to go to an American university to study Cosmology and Astrophysics. I'll be staying with my father while I'm there," Aichi answered.

"Some of your fans including me are concerned about whether or not you would continue playing Vanguard with so much to do at university. Can you shed some light on the situation?"

"I will certainly continue playing. I wouldn't give up playing Vanguard for anything," Aichi answered with a smile.

"Thank you, Aichi Sendou for the interview and congratulations on your graduation."

Aichi bowed his head in gratitude and waved before the interview finished.

"I'm supposed to be attending university," Aichi said. Then, he remembered something.

* * *

Aichi got off the plane from Japan and was standing on American soil. He looked around for his dad since he said that he was going to pick him up.

"Where is he? He should've gotten here by now," Aichi asked himself. He continued to look around for his dad. He decided to turn around back to the exit terminal to check again. When he turned around, Aichi bumped into someone. "I'm sorry, I bumped into you," Aichi apologized quickly.

"No it is quite alright," the person responded. Aichi looked up at the person as the man took hold of his forearm with a tight grip and pulled him up. He felt something unusual about the man standing in front of him. There was something unsettling about him.

"Um… I'm sorry again. I need to go now," Aichi said nervously while trying to make some distance between them, but the man didn't let go of him. "Let go of me," Aichi demanded.

"Sendou, let us go somewhere private, shall we?" The man said as the surroundings changed around them. Aichi's arm was released and he looked around to try to identify his surroundings. He shivered after feeling such a large and strong abundance of negative energy.

"Where is this place?" Aichi asked uncomfortably.

"This will be your new home for now, until we are finished with you. After that, I will take your body as my vessel," the man explained.

Aichi turned to the man in shock. "Void?" He identified.

"Bingo. I expected you to recognize me right away. Though this body isn't ideal, it did serve its purpose," Void said looking at the hands of his temporary vessel.

Aichi analyzed the state of the body of the man being possessed. The body was deteriorating, the man's complexion was turning darker and darker, blood was running down his face from his eyes similar to tears. "What is happening to his body?" Aichi asked somewhat aggressively and somewhat fearful.

"There is no need to be alarmed. If a vessel cannot contain my power, this is a natural reaction," Void assured.

"Release him right now!" Aichi demanded.

Void chuckled. "Are you going to lend me your body to act as my vessel?" He asked. Aichi didn't respond. "I didn't think so. But I'm sure the negative energy will be taking effect on your body soon," he informed.

Aichi felt a surge of exhaustion. He suddenly fell forward. "Why is this happening…?" He asked weakly as he used the strength in his arms to keep him up.

"There is no use trying to resist the exhaustion. It is natural to feel such weakness when a being of light is exposed to such a strong negative energy surrounding," Void explained.

A dark Phoenix flew into the room Void had taken Aichi and transformed into a human-like form. "Void, you have brought the boy you suspected to be the sacrifice?" The Phoenix asked as Aichi fell to the ground limply.

"Yes, he is the one. I am almost positive with his strength, he is the most powerful human. I have encountered many humans and he was definitely the most powerful by a large margin," Void answered standing above Aichi looking down at him.

Aichi was fighting to move with all his strength, but it was no good. His mind was beginning to become foggy. "My Vanguard!" A voice called. Aichi's eyes opened. His eyes were filled with life. Void glared after seeing the crest on the back of Aichi's hand.

"So you have come for your Vanguard, Blaster Blade?" Void commented.

"My Vanguard, I shall release the seal on your powers now," Blaster Blade warned. Suddenly, positive energy exploded from Aichi's body.

"Such immense power, I trust in your judgment, my friend," Darkar said. Void held his hand out and created a dark barrier around Aichi to contain the light and weaken him.

"There is no cause for concern. His power has not fully developed so I can easily suppress it inside my barrier," Void assured, but the body continued to disintegrate more rapidly. "Sendou, if you don't stop, I might need to get another vessel to exhaust you," he informed.

Aichi's energy began to return back to a manageable state as Blaster Blade's card appeared into Aichi's hand. His sight and hearing were beginning to dull again. "I'll take him where you would like him to be until you're ready for him. It seems that this vessel has outlived its use, so make the decision quickly," he explained.

"Come with me, Void," Darkar said as he guided Void to a holding room of some kind. Aichi was lifted up from the ground, confined inside small space given by the barrier. Aichi was placed into a small section of the wall. Chains attached to Aichi as the barrier disappeared. Aichi moved his arms weakly making the chains jingle a little. He was barely able to see through his blurry sight and hear through the muffled sounds of his hearing.

"Enjoy your new home, Sendou," Void chuckled as an illusion was put up.

* * *

Aichi walked to his bed and laid down. "That's right… Void took me to that place when I arrived in America to attend university," he said to himself. "I want to get back to my normal life…" he muttered before drifting to sleep.

* * *

Happy Birthday, ChaosDancer12!

I know it may look like I have only been uploading for special occasions, but... who am I kidding, that is true. Sorry guys, I am trying to get new chapters out, but I'm getting destroyed by school. I promise that the next chapter will come out earlier than August!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and wish ChaosDancer a happy birthday!


	5. Lessons at Cloud Tower

Two days later, Aichi was standing on his balcony looking at the sky. "I want to meet Kai," he thought to himself. He was in a daze when someone knocked on the door and opened it.

Aichi didn't even notice the person. "Aichi Sendou!" The person called. Aichi snapped out of his thoughts and saw Griselda standing just outside of the barrier.

"Oh! Ms. Griselda, what brings you here?" Aichi asked. The barrier created an opening for her, but she didn't walk through.

"Headmistress Faragonda would like to speak to you," Griselda informed professionally.

"Ms. Faragonda?" Aichi asked surprised because it was out of the blue.

"Yes. She is waiting for you in her office," Griselda confirmed.

"Okay, thank you for telling me," Aichi thanked awkwardly as she walked away. He walked outside of his room and to Faragonda's office next door. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," Faragonda said. Aichi slowly opened the door.

"You wanted to talk to me, Ms. Faragonda...?" Aichi asked before he noticed a miasma of powerful dark energy in the room. He looked at the woman beside Faragonda. "Um…" he said uncomfortably. He looked at the lady excreting the negative energy nervously.

"It is alright if you feel the dark energy, Aichi. This is Headmistress Griffin, headmistress of Cloud Tower," Faragonda introduced happily.

Aichi bowed his head slightly cautiously. "My name is Aichi Sendou," he responded. "So… what did you need me for, Ms. Faragonda?" Aichi asked nervously.

"I would like your opinion on a trip that you and the Winx might go to," Faragonda explained.

"A trip?" Aichi responded.

"If you were talking to me about this boy, Faragonda, he won't last a day in Cloud Tower," Griffin commented bluntly.

"If he is going to keep getting targeted by ones with dark magic, he must learn about the dark arts so that he will be able to fight back," Faragonda explained.

"The dark arts?" Aichi commented in disbelief.

"What do you think, Aichi?" Faragonda asked curiously. It was like she wanted to observe something. Aichi was suspicious of her intent in asking that question.

"Well, I don't think I can use any dark spells or anything... But it might be useful when combatting those three witches, Darkar, and Void," Aichi answered honestly.

"Okay. But now, I want to know how you feel about learning the dark arts personally," Faragonda said with her hands under his chin leaning on the table top.

"How I feel? Honestly, I am quite nervous. I always feel weaker when around negative energy. After my experience at Shadowhaunt, I'm not sure I want to get into that situation again," Aichi explained. He shivered at the memory of what happened.

"Thank you for telling me your perspective. If you would please allow me to speak with Headmistress Griffin alone to make my decision," Faragonda requested.

"Okay," Aichi answered before leaving the room. When he walked outside, he realized that his hand was shaking. He was scared of the powerful miasma in Faragonda's room. "Learning the dark arts…? I don't think I will be able to," he thought to himself before walking into his room.

"Blaster Blade, I'm going to re-balance my energy concentration," Aichi informed. Blaster Blade's card glowed in response, meaning that he understood. Aichi stood at the center of his room and released Blaster Blade from himself. The barrier around his room began to weaken and fade away.

Aichi had some sessions with Avalon and he was gaining more control over his power. He read a book about controlling powerful magic and used the tips to make a routine for himself. He took the strong concentrated energy in his heart and distributed the energy throughout his body so that it was easier to maintain. Avalon was not aware that Aichi was distributing energy throughout himself, he felt he didn't want to tell him for some reason.

After Aichi was done, Blaster Blade returned to him so that he wouldn't need to constantly worry about keeping his powers under control. The barrier strengthened once again.

"My Vanguard, you are slowly gaining control of your power," Blaster Blade commented encouragingly.

"I think I am too. I think distributing it throughout my body makes it easier to control. It's a good thing Alfea has a lot of books about magic," Aichi responded. He laughed and scratched his head. "I guess that should be expected for a magic school," he added.

"You should learn as much magic as you can while you are here," Blaster Blade agreed.

"Blaster Blade?"

"What is it you need, My Vanguard?" Blaster Blade responded.

"Is it important or beneficial for me to learn about the dark arts?" Aichi asked.

"If you understand how dark powers work, you may find a weakness to counter your enemies. However, the surroundings might affect you slightly. You'll feel weaker, but the negative energy should not be strong enough to affect your memories," Blaster Blade answered.

"So it really is beneficial…" Aichi thought. "Oh! Blaster Blade, I wanted to ask you something else," he said.

"Ask as many questions as you need, My Vanguard," Blaster Blade responded.

"I remember the time I was captured by Void and my time in Shadowhaunt. But I remember that you mentioned that you were going to remove the seal on my powers. Why were they sealed in the first place, and when and by who?" Aichi asked.

"When you were born, Takuto Tatsunagi noticed a strong source of energy. Tatsunagi went to Earth to investigate it and found you. It was then, he decided to seal your powers so that you could live a normal life as a human," Blaster Blade explained.

"I guess there was only so much he could do to make my life normal," Aichi joked. He pulled his chair to his window. He looked outside and saw that there was a concert outside. Aichi was able to see the crowd, but he didn't have a good view of the stage. He saw Musa on the stage briefly. "It's Musa," he identified. Soon, the music started.

"She sounds really good…" Aichi said. He closed his eyes. He was focused on the music. At the middle of the performance, he suddenly noticed dark energy amongst the crowd. "This presence! It feels like one of those witches are here," Aichi identified. He looked around to try to find the person emitting such strong dark energy.

When Musa finished, Stormy revealed herself from her disguise and took hold of a man aggressively. Aichi opened his room's balcony door and ran outside. He was about to jump out of the barrier, but he was pushed back since Blaster Blade didn't let him out. "Blaster Blade, what's wrong?" Aichi asked.

" It is not safe for you to walk outside of the barrier, my Vanguard," Blaster Blade answered.

"But there has to be something I can do to help if I go," Aichi said. He looked down to where Stormy was standing. She saw Aichi standing on his balcony and threw an attack at him. The barrier was hit by Stormy's attacks, but it took no damage because the barrier was so strong. "That attack was strong, but it wasn't enough to break my barrier," he commented. He was a little surprised by how strong it really was.

"Musa, if you don't want him to get hurt, you'll force the boy up there come down and take his place," Stormy demanded while charging an attack in front of the man's face. Musa looked up at the balcony to see Aichi standing there.

"Blaster Blade, please let me out," Aichi ordered.

"But, my Vanguard," Blaster Blade responded.

"Trust me, please, Blaster Blade," Aichi pleaded. He touched the barrier again and he was able to go through. "Thank you, Blaster Blade," Aichi thanked with a smile before transforming. He jumped down to the ground and landed on his feet with a soft landing.

"You are here for me right? Let that man go," Aichi demanded.

"Aichi, we can defeat them right now!" Bloom informed.

"It's alright. Don't do anything," Aichi assured seriously.

"It's not going to be that easy, release your transformation," Darcy demanded while standing behind him. Aichi didn't notice her presence, but he wasn't really surprised.

Aichi looked at the frightened man before looking to Stormy. "Okay," Aichi agreed. He closed his eyes and his transformation disappeared into light particles. Blaster Blade's card appeared in his hand. "Are you satisfied?" He asked.

Stormy chuckled and turned to Aichi to cast a spell quickly. Aichi responded quickly and moved out of the way and successfully dodged it. Darcy sent an attack at the man.

"Dad!" Musa cried. The man shielded himself with his arms, but he noticed he wasn't hit by anything. He looked up and saw that Aichi intercepted the attack before he was hit.

"I figured you'd do that," Aichi said. While he was close to Musa's father, Aichi attacked Stormy to make her release Musa's father. He turned to Musa and nodded at her with a smile.

"I need each and everyone to help me! Just sing with me!" Musa ordered. She began singing, everyone joined her as positive energy began to overflow the room. Aichi released his transformation as the witches began to retreat. Everyone cheered in victory, while Aichi quietly sneaked back into the school building.

Aichi walked in the hallway looking happy about how everything turned out. His mood was quickly broken when he felt extremely powerful dark energy. "Hm… the forgotten hero walks alone," Void chuckled.

"Void!" Aichi exclaimed.

"Yes. Yes. That is what I am called by you humans. Why do you always speak my name with such hatred? I don't remember doing something so significant to be rewarded by such hatred," Void commented. Aichi was alert and ready in case Void wanted to do anything to him.

"I think you've done more than enough," Aichi responded cautiously.

"Well… if you were wondering, I am not here to cause my usual mischief. I have just stopped by to say hello," Void informed tauntingly.

"Wait! You must have done something! What did you do?!" Aichi asked before Void left.

"Didn't I just tell you. I didn't do anything. You might not believe me, but I am quite honest," Void responded with a chuckle before leaving.

"Wait!" Aichi cried, but he already felt Void leave.

"Void definitely did something. The Void would not have come for such meaningless conversation," Blaster Blade warned.

"I know, but we don't know what Void did," Aichi responded as he explored the school to see if anything had changed. He didn't find anything the least bit suspicious. As far as he could tell, nothing changed. "What did Void do?" Aichi asked as he looked around more closely. He walked into a hallway with mirrors that didn't reflect what was in front of them.

"This is weird," Aichi thought to himself as he looked at the reflections more closely. He saw a door, but it wasn't on the wall that the mirror reflected. "There is a door here," he said to himself as he touched the wall that the door was supposed to be on. When he did, the wall suddenly opened like a door. "What is this place?" He wondered.

"Who are you?" A voice asked.

Aichi turned to see an elder pixie. "Hello, I am sorry for walking inside without permission. I was looking around the school and I noticed the room..." he apologized bowing in front of her.

"Hm… I see strong positive energy around you. I know you have no malicious intent in coming here," the pixie commented. Aichi looked at the pixie confused. Her pets began to playfully surround him. He smiled in response and patted their heads. "My name is Concorda, I am the Psychic pixie. I can do a psychic reading for you if you'd like," she informed.

"A psychic reading?" Aichi asked.

"Yes, but there seems to be something blocking my way from doing your reading," Concorda answered as she tried to user her psychic powers.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Aichi apologized. "Blaster Blade, you can trust her," he told Blaster Blade.

"I have never seen so many strong friendship lights, but there is one the resonates particularly strong," Concorda began. "I see a very strong light that appears closest to you. Whoever this is, they have the same colour as you, which means they have the same spirit as you. I can see a cloud of darkness blocking the way to some of your memories. I can feel that it fills your mind with confusion," she explained.

"You pretty much got everything spot on," Aichi commented happily. "Thank you for doing your psychic reading. It is really amazing that you can read someone so well just by looking at them," he thanked.

"That is not all, I see powerful darkness in your future. Oh my! I see that a powerful dark being that is after your soul and I cannot tell the outcome of the situation! You will find yourself in a forbidden realm in the near future!" She exclaimed. "You are a piece to summon a powerful and forbidden power. To avoid the catastrophe, please keep yourself safe," she informed.

"I will, thank you. I will remember everything you told me," Aichi responded as he walked to the door. "I apologize again for intruding," he said as he waved at the pets. He walked out of the room and made sure the door was closed behind him.

"Aichi!" A voice called. Aichi turned around startled to see Avalon standing at the end of the hallway. Aichi looked pretty suspicious because it looked like he was just standing in the hallway.

"Mr. Avalon," Aichi responded casually.

"What are you doing here? I expected you to be with the others outside at the party, or in your room," Avalon informed.

"Actually… um…" Aichi began trying to stall time to think of an excuse. "I got a little lost," he finished nervously. He knew that he wasn't a good liar and Avalon would demand the truth.

"Oh? You are on your room floor right now near the staff only areas. I will take you to your room," Avalon offered.

"That would be a lot of help. Thank you," Aichi thanked. He followed Avalon as they walked back to his room.

"Have our sessions helped you with controlling your powers?" Avalon asked.

"They have, I feel like I am getting more and more control over it," Aichi answered. He always felt a slight uneasiness whenever he was around Avalon. He didn't know why, but he always felt like he should be on guard around him.

"Aichi, I think I have found a way to access your memories," Avalon informed.

Aichi turned his head to Avalon's direction cautiously. "You have?" He asked. He was trying to sound excited.

"Yes, I have found a spell that can break the seal on them. All that is necessary is to banish your protector from inside you," Avalon informed. He saw Aichi's unsure face. "Of course, if you'd rather not use the spell, that will be your choice," Avalon answered.

Aichi thought to himself. After he brought that up, Aichi knew that he cannot trust Avalon. "I think I can wait until I find out on my own," he responded. "Thank you for searching for a spell, but I feel like I can wait," he added to hide his distrust. They soon reached his room, Aichi was reluctant to walk inside.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Avalon. Have a good night," Aichi said while bowing his head. He then walked inside the room.

"My offer will remain standing if you would like to unlock your memories sooner," Avalon informed.

"Okay," Aichi responded as Avalon left. He watched as Avalon walked away. "I feel so uneasy around him now…" he said to himself before closing the door.

* * *

"Master, I have found the location of Alfea's codex. The boy found it for us just as Void planned."

"Darkar, he is a very sharp boy. Act too quickly and he will notice that your minion is working with us and tell the fairies," Void warned.

"I overheard that he and the girls will be attending Cloud Tower for a week beginning tomorrow. We can retrieve their piece first and wait a little while before stealing Alfea's piece to avoid further suspicion."

"That sounds reasonable. It is your call, my friend," Void commented.

"We will go with that then. I shall inform the witches. They should be familiar with Cloud Tower," Darkar agreed with a low voice.

* * *

The next day, Aichi stood inside Faragonda's office with the Winx and Marta. "What?!"

Aichi was the only one that wasn't outraged since he knew about it. He stood at the side of the room. The Winx were all crowding in front of Faragonda's desk. "You want us to take classes at Cloud Tower this week?!" Bloom explained.

"What is that about?" Aisha asked sounding angry.

"Can you see me in a gothic witch outfit?" Stella added.

"You must understand the dark arts if you were to face Lord Darkar and Void," Faragonda answered seriously.

"But why can't the professors come to Alfea? It is so much more pleasant here," Tecna suggested.

"Yea! And Aichi will feel weaker at Cloud Tower," Bloom pointed out.

"You all must immerse yourself in darkness to learn about it. And since Aichi will feel quite weak at Cloud Tower, I need all of you to keep him safe," Faragonda responded.

"I'll come with you as your unofficial guide," Marta suggested. "You know... once you go to CT, it really isn't that bad," she added.

"I think staying in a place with dark energy can help us find a way to counter Darkar and Void's powers," Aichi commented. He sounded quite confident.

"Yes! That is precisely why I am sending all of you to learn there," Faragonda said. "Now get your things ready. You'll leave once you are ready," she ordered. Everyone headed to the door, the Winx didn't seem too excited about going to Cloud Tower.

"Oh Aichi, I need to speak with you before you leave," Faragonda said. Everyone left, but Aichi stayed behind. "Cloud Tower has a mind of its own. Please be careful and try to compress your positive energy as much as possible. It is for your own safety and the safety of the witches learning there," she explained.

"I'm not sure if I can suppress it. I don't have enough control yet to release and suppress it at will," Aichi informed.

"Please try your best, Aichi. You must learn anything you can while you are there. There are a lot of risks involved with this trip so please take advantage of this opportunity," Faragonda responded.

"I will try my best," Aichi answered.

* * *

In the afternoon, the Winx, Marta, and Aichi made their way to Cloud Tower. There were teachers standing at the front gate to 'greet' them, but ended up warning them and trying to scare them instead. Aichi was really nervous standing in front of Cloud Tower. He was going to be the only male attending witch classes.

"I suggest keeping your positive energy low. If you do not, Cloud Tower will eat you alive," one of the teachers warned. Aichi felt like that comment was more directed to him. He took a breath before walking inside Cloud Tower. When he did, he felt the immense dark energy residing inside. His chest tightened up which caused him to clench his chest with his hand.

They were brought to their rooms. Aichi had his own room since the magic council didn't want him to be rooming with females. He understood the reasons, so he didn't try to argue. After getting settled in, they were called to the main lecture hall for a lesson. Aichi stood inside of his room, he held the wall to support himself. "This dark energy is really taking a toll on me… I don't want to worry everyone," he told himself. He took deep breaths to try to reduce the strain on his body.

He walked to the bathroom inside his room and looked in the mirror. His face was pale and he looked exhausted despite just standing around. He felt nauseous, so he drank some water and washed his face. After a few minutes, he heard a knock on his door. "Aichi! Are you there? Class began and you weren't there, so I came to check on you," Bloom asked.

"Give me a second!" Aichi responded while wiping his face. He walked to his room's door and opened it to see Bloom outside. "Sorry. Let's go," he apologized. He used all of his strength to walk down the hallway. Bloom noticed that Aichi was really pale, so she was quite worried.

"Here, let me help you walk there," Bloom said as she offered a shoulder.

Aichi turned to her and shook his head. "I'm fine... I'll manage somehow," he assured with a smile.

"Are you sure it's okay to be here? You are really sick just from entering here," Bloom asked worriedly.

"I should be fine," Aichi repeated. He opened the door to the lecture hall and walked inside. He tried even harder to hide his exhaustion as he walked past the witches. They attracted everyone's attention and Griffin didn't look happy. "I am very sorry for being late," he apologized while bowing his head.

"Get in your seat," Griffin ordered impatiently. Aichi nodded and took his seat at the front of the lecture hall. His seat was beside the Winx. "A witch's magic comes from dark energy, which can be conjured up from mayhem or misery or by tapping into one's own dark feelings," Griffin explained.

Aichi thought to himself. "My own dark feelings?"

"We are going to conjure up dark energy using our feelings today. Transfer students beware, bad things happen to those who can't control their dark energy," Griffin warned. Each of the students in the room created an orb, but Aichi wasn't able to create one. He was trying to suppress his light energy, but because of that, he couldn't release any energy at all.

Griffin stood at the back observing everyone, and she noticed that Aichi didn't have one in front of him yet. His eyes were closed shut, he was focusing but there was still nothing. "Everyone has darkness inside of them. You are not an exception. Think about something you detest, think about a bad experience you had," she said.

A light collective of energy began to form in front of Aichi. He thought harder... When something came up, his face suddenly changed and he turned his head to the side in discomfort. The orb in front of him released essence made up of negative energy.

Aichi's collective of energy suddenly began to darken rapidly until it was pitch black. "I will destroy everything dear to you. You are weak. You cannot stop me," Void's voice echoed throughout the room.

"No! No more...! You can't destroy more...!" Aichi's thought echoed. He continued to turn his head slowly and stiffly as the dark energy in the room grew out of control.

"You cannot stop me. You will never see your friends again."

"I will never see my friends again…"

Everyone in the room was surprised at how much dark energy Aichi was able to produce. Griffin quickly realized the dire situation that they were about to be in. "Everyone, evacuate from the room," she ordered as she put up a barrier around Aichi to suppress the energy source. Everyone left except for Griffin, Aichi and the Winx.

"Aichi, what's wrong?!" Bloom asked, but Aichi wasn't listening. He was too lost in his dark thoughts.

"Something isn't right. He is usually surrounded by such positive energy," Flora said.

"I am meant to disappear…"

"So you do understand your place…"

"I am nothing more than a sacrifice…"

"He is creating this energy from his own inner misery! If he continues this, he'll lose control!" Griffin exclaimed.

Cloud Tower itself was being affected by Aichi's darkness as well. "Snap out of it!" Musa exclaimed as vines came out of the walls to seize everyone inside. Aichi soon began to scream in pain as his inner darkness began consuming him.

Suddenly, Blaster Blade's card began glowing with a strong light. A loud voice said, "you are not just a sacrifice. You are alive. You have a purpose in life. The world needs you." It was Kai's voice.

"Kai…? I have a purpose… I am needed…" Aichi reminded himself as light energy neutralized the dark energy throughout the room. He fell unconscious and soon after Blaster Blade stopped glowing. The vines retreated and Cloud Tower turned back to normal.

"Aichi!" Bloom exclaimed after seeing him lying on the ground unconscious. Griffin knelt down and checked on Aichi, he seemed alright.

"I never expected such intense misery inside of this boy. There is a voice inside of him causing his despair," Griffin explained. She stood up and waved her hand above Aichi to make him float. The lecture hall doors opened and the witches filed back inside. Griffin used her magic to send Aichi back to his room and into his bed to rest.

Blaster Blade stayed alert while Aichi was asleep. He stood at his side as a spirit. Aichi face was scrunched up while he was sleeping. His breath was heavy and one of his hands was clenching his chest. Blaster Blade was aware that Aichi was having a nightmare created by his memories.

Aichi stood in a dark space. "Where am I?" He asked nervously. The space he found himself in had remnants of dark red mist everywhere. There was a lot of negative energy around him.

"Calm down! Sleep here with me!" Aichi's voice exclaimed. The dark energy in the space grew stronger. Aichi looked down at his chest to see that there were streams of red aura coming out of his chest and spread throughout the surroundings. He was surprised of the pain and used his arm to try to block some of the aura from leaving him.

"What is this…?" Aichi asked in pain. He heard his past cries of pain while trying to suppress the dark entity inside of him. He was floating in a dark space in absolute solitude. He felt helpless as the evil entity inside of him continued to try to take control of him. "This looks familiar..." Aichi muttered. He was pulled out of the endless space and found himself sitting on a throne. He had a nice view of the Earth in front of him, but it was blocked by a blond haired girl who was holding out a deck. She looked like she was in agony as some of the dark red aura entered the deck.

"Give me more of your agony! More!" The girl cried in pain. Aichi held his hand up and stopped the flow of evil energy that she was absorbing.

"Thank you, Kourin… I'm alright now…" his memory recalled him saying before he fell unconscious again.

"Wait… I remember this…" Aichi said.

"Link Joker's seed… it has already been split into pieces. Kai saved me from sealing myself again," Aichi remembered as the pain faded away. The Link Joker miasma disappeared from his mind space as well as some of Void's essence. His brain finally felt at ease.

When Aichi woke up, he sat up on his bed and held his head. "What happened?" He asked himself. He looked around and noticed he was in his room.

Aichi pulled himself out of his bed. "Getting back a piece of my memory didn't help with the nausea…" he said to himself. He looked at Blaster Blade's card that was in his hand. "Thank you for always protecting me," he thanked. Blaster Blade's card glowed in response.

Suddenly, he sensed really strong dark energy that stood out even inside Cloud Tower. He slowly and quietly walked outside of his room to check out the source. He ran down the hallway as quietly as he could. When he reached the corner of the hallway, he heard voices inside of a classroom. He recognized the voices all too well.

"Why are they here…?" Aichi asked himself. He leaned closer to the door to listen to their conversation.

"Let's do what we came here to do!" Stormy's voice exclaimed.

"Wicked idea. But what about the fairies and that fairy boy?" Darcy responded.

"We can find the codex and still take out a few fairies while we're at it. Lord D told us to capture the boy if we can. After securing the codex, of course," Icy answered.

"Nice!"

"Let's split up."

Aichi heard a bang sound. He quickly ran back to the corner to hide when he heard someone walking towards the door. He took a peak and saw Stormy looking around. "They need to be stopped… but I can't fight here," he said to himself. He was still weak from the surroundings so he walked quietly back to his room.

The next day, Aichi was with the Winx in class. After class, he was walking around the school. After walking a little, he saw the Trix surrounding Lucy, a witch that attended Cloud Tower. Stormy was charging up a spell, so he ran as fast as he could to block the attack. "Stop!" Aichi exclaimed while transforming and appearing in front of Lucy. He blocked the spell, but he was obviously weakened by the dark energy around him.

"It is the brat," Icy said almost bored.

Sweat dropped from Aichi's forehead. He was getting exhausted just from keeping his transformation on. "You aren't even a challenge to beat up when you are in Cloud Tower. But this is the perfect environment to capture you. You can't do anything in your state," Icy chuckled as she shot out a frost spell.

Aichi repelled it with light energy, but the walls were beginning to get affected by the overwhelming positive energy. "Hurry and run," Aichi ordered Lucy. She followed Aichi's order and ran.

"You think you can take all three of us at once?" Stormy asked as she shot out a lightning spell. Icy and Darcy joined in throwing their own spells. Aichi was able to block Darcy and Stormy's attack, but that used up all his energy. He didn't have enough energy to repel Icy's attack, so he was hit by it.

Aichi's legs were the first to freeze up, so he couldn't move. "You aren't going to find the codex," Aichi declared as the ice spread up his legs.

"Sendou, where is the codex located? I know you can sense where it is. Let me know where it is again and I'll take over from there," Void chuckled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aichi responded as his body was beginning to freeze.

"Don't lie. It is the same as the last time. Don't you remember how I took over you in that other school? You can sense the codex because you're connected to the Ultimate Power," Void responded. Aichi was frozen up to his neck. Void clumped up and circled around him. A hand formed from the clump that caressed Aichi's cheek. "Now… tell me…"

"I'll never tell you!" Aichi exclaimed. A burst of positive energy came out of him that was strong enough to break through the ice and push Void away from him. He took heavy breaths and held Blaster Blade's sword up. He stopped suppressing his positive energy, so he felt better. It was strange that Cloud Tower wasn't acting strange.

"Hm... I guess you should thank me for neutralizing your positive energy. If you don't be careful, you'll make the building unstable. But you've gotten stronger, haven't you?" Void commented while chuckling. "The seal on your power is falling apart."

"That must be bad news for you then," Aichi responded. He stabbed his sword into the ground and a barrier appeared.

"You three, find out where the codex is. I will deal with him. If I manage to control him, I will tell you the location," Void ordered. The Trix disappeared. "What do you think you can accomplish by doing this? You are simply just stalling your inevitable fate," Void complained.

"I don't have the strength to banish you from here, but I can keep you from controlling me for as long as I can hold out," Aichi responded.

"You are wasting my time and your own strength. Those witches will find the location of the codex soon anyway," Void said. Aichi heard something and the walls around them became unstable. "If you keep this up, this school will begin attacking you as well. Stop wasting my time now! Let's decide this with a fight," Void requested. Void manifested into a human form and held a card.

"A card?" Aichi noticed.

"Yes… this is my ally. Would you like to take a look?" Void asked chuckling. Aichi looked at the card intensely with interest. Void turned the card and revealed a card similar to Blaster Blade.

"Blaster Joker…?" Aichi identified. He remembered that card from his memory.

"Yes. So you remember everything after all. Now… let's fight!" Void exclaimed as the card released dark energy. The dark energy created a sword. Void swung the sword at Aichi which broke the barrier. "You should've known a weakened barrier cannot stop my attacks."

Aichi held Blaster Blade's sword in front of him to guard himself. When the swords made contact, extremely powerful negative energy came out of Void's sword. Aichi was knocked against the wall by the energy excreted by the sword.

"How could you affect the physical world when you don't have a body?" Aichi asked as he struggled to push back.

"Who said my negative energy can't affect the physical world? With my new ally, I finally have a terminal to release it," Void explained while laughing at Aichi's struggling expression. Aichi gritted his teeth as his sword was pushed closer to his body. At that point, Blaster Blade's sword was right up against Aichi's body.

"What's wrong? Are you getting overwhelmed?" Void taunted. Void pushed the sword right to Aichi's neck. Aichi didn't respond, he tried his best to push away. "I guess your physical strength is quite weakened here. It's not to say your physical strength use to be strong before entering this building, but this is just ridiculous," Void laughed.

Void knocked Blaster Blade's sword out of Aichi's hand and held Blaster Joker's sword in front of him so that he couldn't move. Void's sword wasn't physically manifested, but the powerful dark energy excreted from it was keeping Aichi in place. It was like he was inside a capsule made up of negative energy.

Void put a hand on Aichi's chest. "Stop!" Aichi demanded while trying to push Void away, but it was to no avail.

"Now… I'll be happy to see you suffer right now," Void chuckled as some of his essence entered Aichi's body. Aichi cried in pain and struggled.

"No!" Aichi cried louder. Suddenly, a blast shot at Void and went right through. It distracted Void enough to loosen up allowing Aichi to summon Blaster Blade again and knock him away. Aichi fell on the ground panting. He faintly saw Griffin running towards him with the Winx close behind.

"Your witches have retreated and you are outnumbered. There is no reason to stay here," Griffin informed. She couldn't see Void, but Void's presence was strong.

"Well, those witches probably didn't retreat, but I will retreat for now. It seems luck is on your side, Sendou," Void said before disappearing. Griffin felt the presence disappear and knelt down to Aichi. She pulled him into a sitting position.

"What is happening?" Bloom asked. Her eyes were black and she seemed like she couldn't see anything. She was holding onto Stella for guidance.

"There is immense dark energy trapped inside him. I am going to extract the negative energy implanted inside him," Griffin said while holding her hand out in front of his chest. Aichi screamed as dark strands of energy came out of his chest. After extracting Void's essence from inside him, Aichi felt completely numb.

"Thank you…" Aichi muttered weakly. He reached for Blaster Blade but he couldn't reach him. Griffin looked at what he was reaching for. It was on the ground not too far from Aichi. She picked up the card and felt the strong positive aura around it.

"Bloom… what's wrong…?" Aichi asked while looking at Bloom.

"The witches cast a spell and now I can't see," Bloom responded.

"Come here…" Aichi ordered. Stella guided Bloom to him. He put his hand over Bloom's eyes and a closed his eyes to focus. A bright light appeared. "You should be fine…" he assured.

"I will make plans for you to return to Alfea tomorrow. You will be able to recover your energy and defend yourself there," Griffin informed.

"Okay… thank you, Ms. Griffin," Aichi thanked before moving his hand away from Bloom. Her eyes were back to normal. Aichi fell forward into Bloom.

"Are you okay Aichi?" Bloom asked panicked.

"I'm just tired…" Aichi answered drowsily.

Griffin picked him up using her magic. "I will take him to a protected place. All of you get rest, before those witches return," she informed. The Winx and Griffin split ways. Griffin walked inside of her office, Aichi was placed on the ground lightly and Griffin created a barrier around him.

"If he stays in there, I have one less thing to watch over," she thought to herself.

* * *

Merry Christmas, guys!

I'm back for now and I was finally able to do my editing! While I'm on break I can post more chapters, yay! Thank you for being patient for the chapters. I'll try to work harder on posting the chapters in a timely manner. I hope the wait was worth it and I will see you in the next chapter!


	6. Losing Two

In a secret room inside of Cloud Tower, the Trix were discussing their next move. "That Tecna tricked us!" Stormy exclaimed frustrated.

"Oh, please! I wouldn't give that robo nerd so much credit!" Icy responded.

"So you don't think it was a trick? Do you think those fairies really have no idea where the codex is hidden?" Stormy asked.

"They are just as clueless as we are!" Darcy answered.

"I doubt that any of them were told the location of the codex," a dark voice informed. Dark miasma began to spread through the room. "If you had stalled them for a little longer, I would have found the location from Sendou."

"How do you even know that that loser knows where it is?" Stormy asked.

"He is connected to the Ultimate Power. He can sense where it is subconsciously even if he doesn't want to know. I found the codex at that other school by taking over his mind space temporarily. If I was able to do that again, we would save a lot of time," Void explained.

"So what is our plan?" Icy asked.

"You weren't able to finish a task as simple as stalling time for me, so you should think of your plan by yourselves," Void responded before disappearing.

The witches growled in anger from what Void said. "Who does Void think he is talking down on us like that?!" Stormy exclaimed while shooting a spell at a bookshelf in anger.

"Let's just think of a new plan. We don't need to impress the Void. We just need Darkar to summon the Ultimate Power so that we can take it," Icy responded.

"How about we keep sending our power to the heart?" Stormy suggested.

"We can seize control of the tower and then we can just get the tower to hand over the codex to us," Darcy agreed.

"And we can capture the boy and destroy everyone else!" Icy agreed. They all laughed evilly before beginning to execute their plan.

* * *

The next day, the Winx were called to Griffin's office. When they walked inside, they saw Aichi floating inside the barrier that Griffin created. He was floating upright and his head was down clearly showing he was unconscious. "Ms. Griffin, is he okay?" Aisha asked.

"He will be safe inside of that barrier. However, since it is made by negative energy, he will likely remain unconscious," Griffin explained.

"Why do you have to keep him like that?" Bloom asked. She looked concerned for Aichi.

"He knows the location of the codex. He can sense the location if he is in the vicinity of it. It will be dangerous if he were to fall into enemy hands," Griffin answered seriously. "I did not call you here to speak about his situation. Throughout the night, those three witches have been sending their energy through Cloud Tower's veins in hopes of taking control of the heart. If they were to take control of the heart, Cloud Tower itself will become our enemy," she explained.

"What are we supposed to do about it?" Stella asked annoyed.

"You need to find them and stop them at all cost. Split into pairs and look for them around the school," Griffin answered. "These ruby coins will help you track the witches. They light up whenever powerful dark energy is nearby."

"How will we talk to each other if something happens?" Flora asked nervously.

"This is a very simple spell that will allow you to communicate using Cloud Towers walls," Griffin said before turning to the wall. "Exclaimo." An ear appeared in the wall.

"Okay? You just made a weird ear-thing on the wall," Stella commented disgustedly.

"It will allow you to communicate with your friends. Help will be one spell away," Griffin said. The Winx left the office leaving Aichi and Griffin in the room alone. Griffin began gathering some items inside her desk. Soon a teacher walked inside the office.

"Headmistress Griffin, where are you taking the tome of the covenant?" The teacher asked.

"I must try to repel Icy's magic," Griffin answered while picking up the items that she had gathered.

"It is likely that those witches are picking off those Winx girls right now," the teacher responded.

"That is what I'm counting on. And I need you to do is make sure nothing happens to this boy," Griffin informed. She placed a ruby coin on the table, it was glowing. "When I leave this room, the ruby coin will stop glowing. If it glows while I am gone, inform me immediately," she ordered seriously. She began walking to the exit.

"Are you telling me to watch over this fairy boy?" The teacher joked with a laugh.

"This is not a laughing matter. Guard him with your life. We cannot afford to let him fall into enemy hands," Griffin responded seriously as she left the room. Once Griffin left, the ruby coin remained glowing.

"Great... That witch is gone..." Void said with a chuckle. The teacher could not hear Void, so she didn't expect it when Void entered her body. "Please allow me to use your body for a second." The teacher fell to a knee holding her head. It didn't take long for Void to take control.

The teacher chuckled as she got up. "Everyone is much too trusting here," she laughed to herself as she walked up to the barrier containing Aichi inside. "The Headmistress' trust in her staff might have cost the codex here, Sendou. It's ironic actually... they call themselves witches, but they will never be malicious enough to earn that title," she said as she touched the barrier with a finger.

She moved her finger down the barrier creating an opening. Her body had begun to turn purple as the barrier crumbled allowing Aichi to fall to the ground. She caught Aichi before he can hit the ground. She laughed before putting her hand on Aichi's chest. "Let me in again, Sendou. Tell me the location of the codex," Void ordered before leaving the teacher's body.

Aichi cried in pain as Void began to seize control of his body. Before Void would reach Aichi's mind space, Blaster Blade appeared to stop the attack. "Blaster Blade…! How nice to see you again," Void laughed.

"You will not advance any further," Blaster Blade declared as he charged Void with his sword.

"What can you do with your Vanguard in such a weakened state?" Void asked as a spear manifested in Void's hand. Blaster Blade's attack was far too easy to block and with a swift movement, Blaster Blade was stabbed by the spear. "Far too weak," Void said before darkness surrounded and restrained Blaster Blade.

"Now Sendou, tell me… where is the codex?" Void asked while entering the mind space. Void found Aichi shivering and curled up surrounded by darkness.

In the office, Aichi got up from the ground. There was an evil aura around him. Aichi stood in front of the window. "Up there, huh…?" he said while looking up at one of the pillars of Cloud Tower. "I guess it was a good thing I have weakened you so much with my essence in last night's events," Aichi commented while laughing. He held out his hand and a card with a dark aura appeared floating on top of his hand.

"Let us get the codex together, good friend," Aichi said as he transformed. His transformation was similar to Blaster Blade's except there were red and black rings around each of his wrists and three rings on his back. "These locks will keep you locked in there for as long as I need your body."

Aichi stood on the window and jumped up to the roof. He sat up there and turned to the spire containing the codex. He sighed. "Too bad human bodies makes transportation inconvenient. I wonder if those witches will be able to figure out the location on their own," he said to himself. He wanted to test just how useful the Trix were.

"About an hour until Sendou will recover enough to awaken," Void reminded himself. "That is plenty of time," he said before sitting down on the roof waiting for the witches to come out.

After waiting for ten minutes, Void was getting bored and impatient. "Maybe I will help them a little," he said sounding slightly annoyed. Aichi stabbed his sword into the roof and released his negative energy into Cloud Tower's veins. After a minute, Cloud Tower began acting up.

* * *

Inside Cloud Tower, Bloom and Tecna were getting chased by the Trix when suddenly the Trix felt the control shift. "What?!" Icy exclaimed. Walls suddenly sprouted from the ground and encased the three witches. "Griffin took control of the building!"

"I will not let Griffin beat us!" Icy exclaimed.

"We are stronger than her, we can always take control back," Darcy pointed out. Suddenly the walls began to become unstable and the tower's walls shifted again. A path leading outside opened up for them. "Um… what happened?" Darcy asked confused.

"If we follow this path, we'll find out whoever is in charge," Icy responded before flying through the path.

"Ms. Griffin! What happened?" Bloom asked when she saw Griffin beside them after getting pushed out of the core by the walls.

"Something powerful took control of the tower! I tried to contact the teacher tasked to watch the boy and there was no response," Griffin informed sounding frustrated.

"So what do we do-?" Stella asked when suddenly the floor cracked under them and they fell through.

When the Trix reached the outside, they found Aichi sitting on top of the spire adjacent from the one they came out of. Blaster Joker's sword was still stabbed into the roof beside him. "I am quite disappointed. I expected you three to deal with the situation quicker. I was able to deal with it in a second with just this sword," Aichi said before standing up.

"We don't need your help!" Icy exclaimed. It seemed like what Aichi said touched a nerve.

Aichi laughed. "Alright. If you can find the location of the codex, you would redeem some of my respect. Your last few displays have been quite pathetic," he responded darkly. He pulled out his sword. "Although, I should give you a time limit, shouldn't I? I have stopped my supply of energy to the heart. I will lose control in a matter of minutes. Those fairies will be here soon so you better hurry," he explained while playing with his sword while waiting for the Trix could figure out the location.

"Why don't you just go back with him?!" Stormy exclaimed with an annoyed tone after seeing Aichi play with his sword while they were thinking.

"Actually, I thought that he might be quite useful to find the final codex. I might just let him go for now," he answered. "Although, I am waiting for my dear friend's consent before doing anything," he added.

"Shut up and think! He is just distracted you!" Darcy exclaimed.

After a few minutes, the Winx flew out of the building transformed. "Time is up... I guess I shouldn't have expected more," Aichi taunted.

"Then you tell us where it is!" Stormy demanded.

Aichi pointed at the top of one of the spires. "Inside the top of that spire," he informed. "Now, would you like to retrieve it or be the distraction?" He asked.

Bloom saw Aichi's blue hair slightly from her angle, but Icy was blocking her view. "Aichi-!" She started calling before she saw the dark transformation.

"Sendou is currently sleeping inside here. I'm sorry to say, but he cannot hear you right now," Aichi said while pointing at his chest. "Now if you would excuse me…" he turned to the top of the spire that the codex was in.

"Girls! We need to converge!" Bloom exclaimed. Aichi began charging a strong blast of dark energy as the Winx charged their convergence.

"Let's blast them away!" Musa said.

"No! We should capture them!" Bloom disagreed.

"But it is a 99 percent chance that Aichi will get caught by the blast as well!" Tecna pointed out.

"Right now, Aichi is an enemy too!" Aisha said.

"Let's just do something!" Flora said.

"What disharmony," Aichi commented as he released the blast. It broke through the wall easily. "It looks like you will not have to do anything. At this rate, they will destroy themselves," he informed. He jumped to the opening that he made.

Inside, Aichi saw a pixie inside. "I am Discorda! I protect Cloud Tower's codex! Leave here now!" She demanded as she sent an attack at Aichi.

"You aren't in any position to make demands," Aichi responded after taking his sword and blocking the attack. "Weak!" He exclaimed as he released a powerful dark pressure causing Discorda to get pushed to the ground.

"No!" Discorda exclaimed desperately.

"Now that that is out of the way…" Aichi said to himself. He looked up and saw the codex. "Thank you for your compliance," he thanked as he took the codex in hand. He walked to the opening and stepped right outside it. A crow appeared and took the codex as Void released Aichi.

"Until we meet again, Sendou," Void said before leaving. Aichi fell from the opening and began falling down the tall spire unconscious. Blaster Blade was able to recover quick enough to create a barrier to break Aichi's fall. He fell through the roof of the hallway and fell on the ground.

"My Vanguard… we must return to somewhere with positive energy," Blaster Blade informed. Griffin was in control of the building again, so Cloud Tower was back to normal. Griffin soon found him lying on the ground in the hallway.

"Headmaster Griffin, the escorts from Red Fountain have arrived," a teacher informed. She was followed by the Winx and Specialists, excluding Timmy.

"You all must return to Alfea to recharge your powers," Griffin informed. "All of you must be at full strength when they attack Alfea," she said.

"How is Aichi…?" Bloom asked after seeing him lying there unmoving.

"He will be fine. Protect him with your life. They could have taken him with them today, but they let him go. They must be planning to use him again to find the location of the last two pieces of the codex," Griffin explained. Brandon pulled Aichi up from the ground.

Aichi opened his eyes slightly. "What did I do…?" he muttered weakly. The big flying ship arrived with Timmy operating it. Sky and Brandon helped Aichi inside while the others followed.

They laid Aichi on a bench of the ship. "Darkar got Cloud Tower's codex," Allisa informed.

Aichi had a rough understanding of what happened, but that confirmed his suspicions. "I'm sorry…" he apologized. "If only I had the strength to fight back…"

"Don't blame yourself, there was nothing you could have done," Flora assured.

"It was my mistake… I should have thought of the possibility of Void being there that day…" Aichi said while putting his hand on his face. "It is all my fault…" he repeated. Sky, who was sitting on the other end of the bench suddenly took the collar of his jacket and pulled him up aggressively. Aichi clenched his face in pain from the sudden movement.

"Do you think you're making them feel better saying that?!" Sky shouted.

"Sky!" Bloom and Brandon exclaimed.

"It's alright…" Aichi said weakly. He looked away waiting for Sky to let go. Sky didn't let him go, instead he punched Aichi in the face. "Punch me as much as you want…" Aichi said while keeping his head turned. He didn't resist at all.

"Sky, stop! All of us feel guilty right now," Aisha said. Sky let go of Aichi angrily letting him drop back down.

They soon reached Alfea. Faragonda was outside to greet them. Brandon gave Aichi a shoulder to get out. The Winx walked silently. "I'm sorry Ms. Faragonda. They got it," Bloom apologized.

"So they did end up taking the codex," Faragonda responded.

"I wasn't able to resist Void when he took over. I ended up revealing the location of the codex… I'm sorry…" Aichi informed while looking away.

"Girls and Specialists, please get some rest. I must speak with Aichi alone," Faragonda said. They left leaving Aichi standing there unsteadily. "Aichi, tell me what you're thinking," she asked while looking at Aichi's guilt-filled eyes.

"Ms. Faragonda, you should lock me up somewhere away from Alfea, where they can't find me. I'm not sure what I'd do if I give away another one to Lord Darkar. I know that Void has an accomplice that can weaken the barrier I put around myself, so I should be locked away somewhere Void will never find me," Aichi answered.

"I cannot do that to you, Aichi. You will be treated like a criminal in harsh conditions," Faragonda responded.

"But…" Aichi muttered.

"How about you regain some of your strength, then we'll speak further about this matter," Faragonda suggested while putting a hand on Aichi's shoulder.

"Okay," Aichi responded. Faragonda helped Aichi to his room. She kept a close eye on Aichi as he rested.

* * *

The next day, Bloom was outside of the campus. She was taking out her frustrations on large rocks in the forest. She was blasting them with her full power. Aichi was well enough to get up and walk around. He heard that Bloom was out alone so he wanted to check up on her.

Aichi was walking through the forest when he heard a blast. He ran to the source of the sound and saw Bloom shooting rocks with her magic. "Bloom-!" He called, but stopped when she suddenly shouted, "we lost another piece of the codex and it is really upsetting!" That was when Aichi saw Avalon and hid away to listen.

"It wasn't your fault," Avalon assured.

"I don't care! I should have been able to stop them!" Bloom shouted before shooting another blast of energy. "And I should be able to destroy this whole forest!"

"You're attacking out of anger," Avalon said while walking to Bloom.

"I know, but I'm so frustrated! I feel like my powers are getting weaker and it makes me angry! I mean I don't get it!" Bloom exclaimed.

"I understand, but the negativity doesn't help your winx," Avalon responded.

"Icy, Darcy and Stormy are going to come here next for Alfea's piece of the codex and I don't know how I'm going to stop them," Bloom said calmer.

"These feelings of doubt are keeping you from who you really are," Avalon informed.

"But I thought I knew who I was… but I don't!" Bloom cried. Aichi looked down and leaned on a tree.

"Bloom, I believe it is about time to take the next step in your magical regression journey," Avalon suggested while embracing her. Aichi went back to the campus before hearing that. He returned back to Alfea and walked to Faragonda's office.

Aichi knocked on the door. "Come in."

Aichi slowly opened the door and let himself in. "I'm sorry for bothering you right now, Ms. Faragonda. But I was wondering about Bloom's past," Aichi requested. "I understand if it is personal information, but she said that she felt like she doesn't know who she is. I know how that feels soI want to help, " he added.

"Bloom told you that she lived on Earth. That is true, but she is actually a princess of a realm named Sparks," Faragonda began.

"A princess?" Aichi asked.

"Yes. Her parents were caught up with an accident and it seems that it caused them to pass away," Faragonda finished sadly.

"That's terrible. So I'm guessing she was sent to Earth because that accident was too dangerous for her," Aichi guessed.

"That is correct. Now she is seeking answers about her birth parents," Faragonda confirmed.

"Thank you, Ms. Faragonda. That really sheds some light on everything," Aichi thanked. He sounded really excited. He bowed his head before leaving the room.

In the hallway, he spotted Bloom with Avalon walking through the hallways. "Bloom!" He called. Bloom turned around and saw Aichi running to her.

"Aichi," Bloom responded. She sounded like she didn't want a conversation with him. She looked like she was in a rush.

"Do you have a moment, Bloom? I think I can help you speak with your birth parents," Aichi informed excitedly.

"Thanks, but Mr. Avalon already told me he would do it for me," Bloom declined.

"But, Bloom. I don't want to say this, but it might be safer to see it through my power," Aichi insisted passively.

"Are you implying that Mr. Avalon will trick me? How do I know you aren't possessed again and trying to distract me so that you can get to the codex?" Bloom answered aggressively.

"Bloom, you didn't have to say it like that," Avalon said.

Aichi was a little shocked at first, but then he turned away sadly. "I think by now I can tell if I'm being possessed. I'm sorry for bothering you then, I hope you can get more guidance from Mr. Avalon's regressions," he responded sadly. He walked past them and for a moment, Aichi felt a dark aura coming out of Avalon, but he decided not to turn back.

"Aichi, I know you have some missing memories too," Avalon said. Aichi turned back waiting to hear what he had to say. "You are more than welcome to join us and start your own regression journey," he suggested.

"That is kind of you, but I will have to pass on that offer," Aichi declined before turning back and walking away. He returned back to his room and laid in his bed. He was beginning to feel tired. "Blaster Blade, please create the barrier and take over if something is wrong… I'm feeling a little tired…" he muttered.

"Yes, My Vanguard," Blaster Blade answered as the barrier was formed around the room. Aichi fell fast asleep in his bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Shadowhaunt, Void was with Darkar in the throne room. In a case, two of the four pieces of the codex sat inside. "It seems everything is going as planned, and I didn't even need to do anything for once," Void commented while sounding relaxed.

"My spy noticed him wandering around one day. Something he believes he never does. It seems the codex is in a secret library in Alfea," Darkar informed.

"You should give credit where it's due, my friend. I did travel all the way there to put him on edge enough to wander around unwittingly. He wanted to find out what I did so badly he lead your minion to the place that was giving off a weird sensation," Void joked while sounding proud of himself.

"Now we simply need to make sure he doesn't get involved," Darkar said.

"There is no way he will be able to interfere after what happened yesterday," Void assured.

* * *

At Alfea, Aichi was woken up by a loud bang on his barrier. "What could that be…?" Aichi cautiously pulled himself up and opened the door to see what it was.

It was Faragonda. "Ms. Faragonda," Aichi greeted as the barrier disappeared between them. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Did you do what you planned to do with Bloom and her memories?" Faragonda asked panicked.

"No, I didn't. Bloom said that she wanted to do the session with Mr. Avalon," Aichi informed while scratching his head.

"Okay," Faragonda answered simply before beginning to run off.

Aichi ran after her. "Ms. Faragonda, what it happening?" He asked.

"Bloom is acting strangely. Similar to how you were when you were possessed by Void. Aisha explained it briefly, but it seems to be true," Faragonda explained.

"Then it has to do with Mr. Avalon! Ms. Faragonda, where is Bloom right now?" Aichi asked.

"I am not sure. The Winx lost her and I thought you would know," Ms. Faragonda responded. Aichi got an idea and turned back.

"I have an idea of where she is. Go tell the others that she is at the location of the codex," Aichi ordered before running off in the opposite direction.

When he reached the hallway of the library where he met Concorda, he found that the door was opened. "Bloom!" Aichi called. Hippocampus came out of a book and flew towards him. Bloom followed shortly after with a dark transformation.

Aichi jumped up and caught Hippocampus. He formed a barrier around himself to keep Bloom away for a little while. Hippocampus was holding something. "The piece of codex!" Aichi identified. "Bloom, snap out of it! You're going to give that to Darkar, aren't you?" He asked.

Bloom attacked the barrier relentlessly. Aichi just took the hits, each blast was making the barrier weaker since Aichi had yet to recover fully. "You shouldn't be the one to talk, Aichi! Remember, you are the one that gave away the other pieces," Bloom said evilly.

"The reason why I want to stop you is because I don't want you to feel the guilt I had to feel!" Aichi exclaimed. He took the codex in hand.

"Go, run away," Aichi said to Hippocampus. He transformed and released the barrier. Hippocampus hid away. "Bloom! Wake up!" Aichi called. Bloom sent an attack at him and he blocked it with ease. Aichi held the codex and a barrier surrounded it. The barrier was floating in the air.

"If you want it, you'll have to weaken me enough to destroy the barrier," Aichi informed before jumping up. His eyes burned with Psyqualia and the sword was engulfed with a bright blue aura.

Bloom flew out of the way so that Aichi wouldn't be able to reach her. "You can't fly. I thought you were smarter than that Aichi," Bloom commented mockingly. Aichi turned his body and swung his sword all the way around.

Aichi landed on the ground. He didn't know if the sword hit her, but he heard Bloom's cries of pain. He felt tired, but he needed to keep fighting. "Bloom-" Aichi said as he turned around. He was cut off when he was met with a blast that he wasn't expecting.

"Did you think that would really work?" Bloom asked before throwing another attack at him. A barrier protected him from the attack.

"Thank you, Blaster Blade," Aichi thanked as he got up.

"You should stay down!" Bloom said evilly. The barrier blocked the attack before shattering.

Aichi was exhausted from simply just transforming, but he continued to block. He continued to try to hit her with his sword. "Yes! Keep trying! Swinging your sword like that will exhaust you quicker!" Bloom laughed as she dodged him again.

"Bloom, if you want to be freed fight back!" Aichi exclaimed in between his pants. He knew if he could get a clean strike, the darkness inside her would disappear. However, because of Bloom's flight advantage, Aichi couldn't even touch her. Aichi and Bloom continued to defend and attack each other alternatively. "Bloom isn't fighting back…" Aichi thought.

He landed on the ground and fell to his knees. He had to stab his sword into the ground to support his upper body. The barrier around the codex began to disappear. "Finally! That was getting boring," Bloom laughed as she shot Aichi with another blast. Blaster Blade transferred the supply of Aichi's energy keeping the codex safe to protect Aichi.

The codex fell to the ground and Bloom caught it. "Bloom, don't do it…" Aichi muttered as his sword and armour disappeared. He fell to the ground feeling like he was going to fall unconscious. The Winx ran in and saw Bloom at an opening of the wall handing the codex to a phoenix. Aichi was laying on the ground unconscious.

"Bloom!" The Winx exclaimed once they saw her.

"Oh hey, Winx. How nice of you to show up," Bloom grinned while shooting a fire blast at them. They shielded themselves, but a puff of smoke engulfed them. The next thing they knew, Aichi was in Bloom's arms.

"Bloom, stop!" Aisha exclaimed while flying in for an attack.

"I'll bring him to Lord Darkar and he will have almost everything he needs!" Bloom declared. She began flying towards the opening.

"Not so fast Bloom!" Aisha shouted creating a net barrier so that Bloom couldn't get out. The other Winx sent attacks to her. She was hit by a solar flare and Aichi slipped out of her hands.

Aichi began to fall to the ground. "He's falling!" Flora cried. She used the plants in the room to create a soft landing for him as they continued to fight.

"I need to get up…" Aichi told himself. He was fighting the numbness of his body. "I need more of my sealed power, Blaster Blade!" He cried.

"My Vanguard, it is too dangerous. Your spirit is not even used to your current power yet," Blaster Blade responded.

"I'll be okay…! Give me more…" Aichi responded. A bright blue aura surrounded him once more and a slimmer version of Blaster Blade's sword appeared in his hands. Aichi was panting heavily as he stood up. He wasn't noticed by any of them. Aichi threw his sword at Bloom and it went right through her chest.

"Bloom!" The sword dissolved into light particles. When it was gone, there were no noticeable wounds. Bloom fell to the ground and Aichi caught her.

"She should be back to normal now," Aichi informed to the Winx. He placed Bloom on the ground lightly. The Winx ran to Bloom to check on her. Faragonda and Avalon soon walked in.

"What happened?" Faragonda asked. Aichi looked up and saw them. He looked at Avalon with intimidating eyes.

"Bloom was possessed or controlled by something and gave the codex to Darkar's minion," Aichi informed while walking towards them. He stood right in front of Avalon. "Do you know how she became that way, 'Mr. Avalon'?" He asked. He was looking at him with intimidating eyes.

"I understand your suspicion of Mr. Avalon, Aichi. But he has already explained everything to me. Bloom was inflicted with a virus while she was fighting the Trix," Faragonda informed.

Aichi's expression didn't change. "When she was hurt by a spell from the witches, I purified it with my powers. There is no way she could have gotten a virus from them!" He explained. He summoned his sword and pointed it at Avalon.

Bloom woke up and sat up. "Bloom…!" The Winx called around her. Bloom saw Aichi pointing a sword at Avalon.

"Aichi! Stop! Professor Avalon didn't do anything wrong!" Bloom cried. Aichi held his head with his free hand as his aura grew stronger.

Aichi put his free hand on his sword to support it for an attack. "You can't trust him… I'll show you the truth…!" He said before beginning to swing his sword.

"That is enough, Aichi! You have gone too far!" Faragonda exclaimed before blocking Aichi's attack. She put a hand in front of his face and he began feeling sleepy.

"Ms. Faragonda… he's a spy…" Aichi warned before falling asleep. He fell into her arms.

"I am sorry for his behaviour. He must still be affected by what happened yesterday," Faragonda apologized to Avalon. "After what I witnessed, it seems he is trying to harm you. It is possible that he is faintly under the control of that Void fellow," she explained.

"I will try my best to release the darkness that is messing with the boy's mind," Avalon said before taking Aichi into his hands. "We cannot afford to lose the final codex," he added before leaving with Aichi.

Inside Aichi's head, he was reliving his memories of the Link Joker incident. He was fighting Naoki at Card Capital who was acting strangely. They were vivid memories.

Aichi shook his head. "No! This has already happened, I shouldn't be scared! I don't have time to relive this! I need to find whoever turned Bloom evil…" Aichi said to himself.

In Alfea in Aichi's room, Void was standing beside Aichi's bedside. Avalon was standing to the side in a formal position. Aichi was tossing and turning from reliving his Link Joker experience."Yes, forget about our spies identity for a little while. We only need one more, so give us the head start," Void chuckled.

"All we need is the location of the Pixie Village. It seems that he will be completely out cold with this nightmare for a while," Avalon informed.

"Then the witches should make themselves useful and find the village. Hopefully, they are useful enough to at least do this much," Void suggested. "I will leave you to your duties. Please keep suspicion of being a spy to a minimum," Void said before disappearing.

Void teleported back to Shadowhaunt. The witches were in the throne room alone. "If it's not our witches," Void said in a taunting way.

"What do you want?" Icy asked aggressively.

"There is no need to respond in such a tone. I am simply here to warn you," Void responded.

"Warn us about what?" Darcy asked curiously.

"I was going to tell all of you, but since I have been getting a cold shoulder from a certain someone... I think it is best if I just leave," Void answered.

"Just tell us!" Icy demanded impatiently.

"You're not the one that should be making demands, are you? That isn't the proper way plead for my useful information," Void responded. Void was about to leave before Icy growled and insincerely said, "please!"

"That sounds about right," Void said. "I was going to warn you about your 'Lord Darkar''. I assure you that once he has used up your worth, he will discard all of you and take the power for himself," Void explained while sounding almost amused.

"Oh really? Tell us more," Icy responded sarcastically. She trusted Darkar more than Void.

"I am only looking out for you three. But you can choose not to take the warning to heart," Void said. "Don't come running to me when Darkar gets rid of you," Void added.

"Like you would help us," Stormy pointed out.

"We will get the final piece of the codex and the strongest human spirit soon. I am sure Icy can handle the simple task of getting the codex and the other two can handle Sendou," Void ordered before disappearing.

* * *

Meanwhile in Aichi's room, Faragonda was standing at his bedside as his eyes opened. "Please be wary of that Avalon fellow," he warned. It was obviously not Aichi speaking.

"Are you Aichi's protector?" Faragonda asked.

"Yes. Please trust my Vanguard's intuition. He believes that one of your colleagues is a spy for the enemy," Blaster Blade informed repeating what Aichi said.

"There is no evidence. I can't fire a member of staff just from a single judgment," Faragonda responded.

"They will begin to act once more. This time they will pursue my Vanguard and capture him once again. Please make plans for him to returned to Earth. He wants to see his friends and regain all of his memories," Blaster Blade explained.

"I can arrange that, I will send an escort with him," Faragonda agreed.

"Thank you. I appreciate everything you have done for my Vanguard. I will make arrangements of my own," Blaster Blade thanked before Aichi's eyes closed again.

"I have already made preparations for the Winx to go to a resort. I was thinking about having him accompany them, but it seems that that won't help him at all. If he is going to get captured and possibly disappear from this world, it is best if he spends time with his own true friends with what time he has left," Faragonda explained knowing that Blaster Blade was still listening.

The night darkened…

* * *

Happy New Year, guys!

It is the first chapter of the year and it is a little late! Yeah... sorry... but I did finish! Yay! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I might be able to squeeze in one more next week! So see you next time, bye!


	7. Returning Home

After three days of sleep, Aichi finally woke up. He felt refreshed and full of energy for the first time in a while. "Blaster Blade… did my powers stabilize?" Aichi asked drowsily while getting into a sitting position. There was no answer. "Blaster Blade?" He called while looking around confused.

"Blaster Blade would usually stay inside of me no matter what," Aichi thought to himself while touching his chest. He sounded very concerned since it was so much out of character for Blaster Blade. He stood up and walked to the door to find a barrier around his room. He focused on breaking the barrier, but he noticed it wasn't powered by him after a while of trying. "What is going on?" He asked while touching the barrier.

Aichi activated his Psyqualia. "Blaster Blade!" He called. That was when a card appearing in front of him glowing white light. "Blaster Blade, you worried me," he said sounding relieved.

He reached out and held the card. The crest appeared on Aichi's hand before disappearing. " _I apologize, my Vanguard. I had some business to take care of,"_ Blaster Blade apologized.

"I'm sorry if I am making you ignore your duties as a knight," Aichi apologized feeling guilty.

" _My Vanguard, your safety is more important than any of my regular duties,"_ Blaster Blade assured.

Aichi smiled. "What were you doing?" He asked curiously.

" _That will be revealed to you soon,"_ Blaster Blade answered. He sounded a little excited, so it made Aichi even more curious. " _My Vanguard, do you remember anything from three days ago?"_ Blaster Blade asked.

Aichi thought. "Did something happen?" He responded cluelessly.

" _It seems that something is keeping you from remembering what happened,"_ Blaster Blade commented. " _A powerful fairy handed a piece of the codex over to Void. You tried to stop her, but she was controlled by Lord Darkar,"_ he explained.

"Who? Did Bloom...?" Aichi asked sadly.

" _I am afraid so,"_ Blaster Blade responded hesitantly.

Aichi sighed. "Who cast the spell on her?" He asked. He felt like he knew who it was, but he couldn't put his finger on a name or face.

" _My Vanguard, this might be an abrupt and random question..."_ Blaster Blade began saying. Aichi waited for the question patiently. " _How many of your friends do you remember?"_ He asked.

Aichi thought. "Kai is the only one I remember clearly... but I do remember the names: Ren, Naoki, Leon, Kourin, Gaillard, Sera, Neve, Rati…" he continued saying while continuing to think. "I think that is it…" he informed.

Someone knocked on the door before Blaster Blade could respond. "Come in!" Aichi informed. The door opened and Ms. Faragonda walked inside.

"Aichi, good morning. I am glad you have recovered all of your energy," Faragonda greeted happily.

"Thank you for taking care of me," Aichi thanked before bowing his head.

"There is no need to thank me. Actually, there is a matter that I would like to speak to you about," Faragonda informed.

"What is it?" Aichi responded.

"I was planning a trip for you to return to Earth and meet up with your friends. It was on your knight's request. All the preparations on Earth were prepared by him," Faragonda explained happily.

"Blaster Blade did?" Aichi asked. He was smiling because he knew that that was where Blaster Blade went that morning.

"I will send you to a place on Earth right now," Faragonda said. A portal appeared behind her and it showed a park surrounded by a large building.

"Where is this?" Aichi asked. He leaned to the side to have a better look at the location.

" _This is the university you meant to go to before Void captured you,"_ Blaster Blade answered.

"Really…?" Aichi muttered.

"Blaster Blade will take over from here," Faragonda said before stepping to the side so that Aichi could walk through the portal.

"Thank you, Ms. Faragonda," Aichi thanked before walking going through. The portal closed behind him when he was completely outside. "This is the university I was supposed to go to?" Aichi asked while looking around.

" _Yes, My Vanguard. I have called someone to meet you here,"_ Blaster Blade informed.

"Okay," Aichi responded. He was standing in front of the entrance, so he just waited there afraid of getting lost. There were some university students that walked pass him whispering to each other.

"Is that Aichi Sendou?"

"Why is he here?"

Aichi looked down on the ground. He was feeling overwhelmed with the attention he was grabbing. "Hey, Aichi," a voice greeted. The voice came from behind him, so he turned around and saw someone familiar.

"You are… Kai!" Aichi responded happily.

"Yeah… that my name. Did you have to shout it so loudly?" Kai asked while scratching his head. He walked to Aichi with his hands in his pocket.

"Um… Blaster Blade told me about you," Aichi said with a smile nervously. Kai knew that he was different.

"We should get going, our flight is taking off in three hours," Kai informed awkwardly.

"Um… okay," Aichi responded nervously. He followed Kai closely as they left the campus. There was a taxi waiting outside for them.

"Here, hold onto this," Kai said before handing a passport and a plane ticket to Aichi.

"Um… thank you," Aichi thanked shyly. They got into the taxi, Aichi sat on the back seat while Kai sat at the front. Kai looked at the partial reflection of Aichi on the front window. He saw Aichi open the passport to see his photo and personal information.

"I asked your mom to lend it to me so that I can take you back to Japan. Blaster Blade was planning this for a while," Kai explained.

"Blaster Blade planned all of this?" Aichi asked.

"He did. He told me that you lost your memories and Void is after you. When he contacted me yesterday, I was already in America for a tournament so he told me to buy two tickets and take you back home," Kai explained. Aichi took out Blaster Blade from his pocket.

"Thank you, Blaster Blade. You're always looking after me," Aichi thanked happily. "Thank you for helping me too, Kai. I really appreciate it," he added.

"I was planning on going back to Japan after the tournament anyway. It isn't a big deal," Kai assured. They soon reached the airport, Aichi stepped outside of the car as Kai paid the driver. After paying, Kai walked to the trunk of the car and took his suitcase out.

Aichi watched Kai patiently as he got his bags. "Let's go in," Kai said. Aichi nodded and walked beside him as they entered. When Aichi walked through the doors, he was reminded of the man that Void possessed to disguise himself. He looked extra caution while walking around. " _He's a lot quieter and out of it now. I wonder what he is thinking about,"_ Kai thought. He turned to Aichi who was looking around as if they were being followed.

"I'll go sign us in. You should wait here," Kai suggested before turning to Aichi who looked like he didn't listen to a word he said. "Aichi?"

Aichi snapped out of it. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed nervously.

" _I shouldn't take my eye off him,"_ Kai thought. "It doesn't matter," he responded before walking to a self-serving machine. Aichi handed Kai his passport and ticket. At the corner of his eye, he saw Aichi fidgeting and looking around again. He looked scared.

"Did something happen?" Kai asked which made Aichi jump. "I mean, you're looking around like someone is watching us and you seem so cautious. I know your memories aren't clear, but you can trust me-" Kai began to explain.

"It's not you. It's just that… Void could be disguised again…" Aichi responded which cutting Kai's explanation off. He continued to look around making sure that nothing was following them. "I'm sorry, Kai. I'm feeling uneasy... it's just that I can feel someone evil around here…" he apologized.

"It's okay. If anything happens, just call my name as loud as you can. I'll run to you as fast as I can. You also have Blaster Blade. He'll do anything to keep you safe, so you have nothing to worry about," Kai assured. He handed Aichi his passport before putting one hand on the handle of his luggage to pull it. Aichi followed behind Kai closely as that went through the security process.

They soon made it out of security and they began walking to the waiting lounges where the boarding gates were. The two didn't speak at all while they walked. Aichi had so many questions to ask Kai that he didn't even know how to start. "Um… Kai-" Aichi began.

"Are you Toshiki Kai?" A voice asked. They turned to see a boy running their direction. Aichi stepped to the side shyly as the boy spoke to Kai.

"I saw you on TV! Can we have a card fight?" The boy asked enthusiastically.

Kai turned to Aichi before turning back to the boy. "Sorry, but that would be a waste of my time," Kai apologized coldly before turning around to leave. The boy's eyes widened in shock before looking down sadly.

Aichi felt bad for him. "Um… Kai, can't you play one game with him?" Aichi asked cautiously. The boy looked up at Aichi in admiration.

"You can fight him if you want," Kai answered. "You are Aichi Sendou after all," he added. He wanted Aichi to fight so he said it quite loudly.

It attracted some attention which made Aichi tense up again. "He's the Aichi Sendou?"

"The champion of the Asian Circuit?" Everyone was whispering to each other.

"Wow! You must be really strong! Please fight me!" The boy challenged enthusiastically.

Aichi looked down. "I'm not strong. I don't know how to play... and I don't even have a deck... I'm sorry," he responded sadly.

"What do you mean? Everyone is saying you're a champion!" The boy cheered. He leaned forward to touch Aichi's arm, but Aichi jumped away.

"I'm not those things!" Aichi exclaimed before running off sadly.

"Hey, Aichi!" Kai called before chasing after him. " _Maybe that was too much,"_ he thought as he looked for Aichi. He kept looking around.

"Aichi!" Kai called again. He continued running while looking around. He soon spotted Aichi with his back on the wall looking down. He looked really upset. "Aichi, I'm sorry. I thought that you would have fought that boy and then got some memories back," he apologized.

Aichi didn't respond and turned his head away from Kai. He sighed and took off his bag. He knelt down to search inside using his hand as if he was looking for something. Aichi took a small peak to see what he was doing before turning back when he pulled out something and stood up.

"Here," Kai said. Aichi turned and looked down at his hand. He was holding out a red deck case. Aichi looked up at him confused. "This is yours," he informed while holding the deck closer to him to make him take it. Aichi just stood there looking like he was remembering something.

Kai held Aichi's right hand and placed the deck on back in his hand gently. "I remember…" Aichi said.

"What did you remember?" Kai asked sounding very excited compared to usual.

Aichi flipped over the first card in the deck and saw Blaster Blade. "I remember building a deck," he answered. "I was excited to fight against someone while building it, but I never got the chance to for some reason," he explained. Kai smiled after hearing that.

"That's good," Kai said.

" _Flight A532, going to Japan will be accepting passengers momentarily."_

"Let's go, we'll miss our flight. Everyone is waiting for you back home," Kai informed as he pulled his bag back over his shoulders.

"Okay," Aichi responded happily. He followed Kai, holding his deck tightly so that it wouldn't drop. Aichi walked beside Kai and they soon reached the waiting lounge for their flight. The ticket agents were already accepting passengers with special needs and children when they got there.

Aichi was looking over his deck. _"I don't know some of these cards..."_ he thought to himself. Kai looked over to see his confused look.

"Is something wrong?" Kai asked.

"This deck… this isn't the deck I remember making," Aichi answered while looking closer at the cards. He was trying to get some kind of memory of seeing the units he didn't know.

"This is the deck you used before you went missing. You probably remembered your first deck- the one without any grade three units right?" Kai explained. Aichi nodded. "Your deck has been evolving with you since you started playing the game," Kai added. Aichi nodded telling him he understood.

" _We will begin boarding passengers in Section A. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready with you,"_ the flight attendant announced.

"Looks like we're up," Kai said before walking to the terminal. Aichi followed behind. They were about to join the end on the line when suddenly, someone bumped into Aichi which made him stop walking. Kai got ahead of him since he thought Aichi was still following him.

Aichi felt someone hugging him really tightly from behind. He looked down and saw hands around his stomach. He tried turning to see who it was, but he couldn't see the face of the person. All he could see was the top of the girl's head. She had black long hair that was bunned up by a pink ribbon. "Aichi! It is really you!" She cheered happily. They were attracting a lot of attention. Kai turned around to see what was happening and tried to get back to Aichi but he was trapped in the crowd of people that were in line to board the plane.

"Um… who are you?" Aichi asked while he was trying to turn his head again. The girl let go so that their eyes could meet.

"What are you talking about? I'm your girlfriend," she informed as her eyes began to glow.

Aichi suddenly felt his beginning to lose control before a voice called, _"my Vanguard! Stay awake!"_ It was Blaster Blade and Aichi began resisting.

 _"Stay out of this,"_ another voice said inside Aichi's head.

 _"Void, how did you get here?!"_ Blaster Blade asked aggressively.

 _"The real me is making preparations. You must have not noticed me put a spell on your vanguard while our minion was standing by your Vanguard's bedside. You don't need to be so impatient, I'll be in my true form to take your Vanguard back at a later time. Right now... I'll settle with splitting the two of you apart,"_ Void explained with a chuckle.

 _"My Vanguard! Don't get fooled-!"_ Blaster Blade exclaimed before he was pushed out of Aichi's mind space. His eyes dulled looking like he was in a trance.

The girl sneakily took Blaster Blade out of Aichi's pocket and encased it with dark miasma so that Blaster Blade couldn't escape before putting it in her pocket. "Don't you remember? We've been together for-" she began to say while reaching out her hand for Aichi's cheek before Kai pulled Aichi behind him snapping him out of his trance.

"Kai…?" Aichi muttered confused.

"I don't know you. If you were really his girlfriend, I would know," Kai said. His tone and expression looked intimidating and scary.

"Stay out of this!" She exclaimed before trying to reach for Aichi's hand.

Kai knocked her hand away. "Who are you? Are you working with Void?" He asked.

" _Final call to all passengers,"_ the announcer informed.

"Let's go," Kai said as he took Aichi's arm and pulled him to the ticket agents. Kai showed them both of their tickets and passports and they went through the terminal.

The girl walked to an unpopulated area and smiled evilly when she took out Blaster Blade's card. "That was easy," she chuckled before disappearing and reappearing at Shadowhaunt. Stormy and Void were there. "Here it is," the girl informed before transforming into Darcy. She held out Blaster Blade's card which was surrounded by a dark miasma.

" _Give that to me. I'll deal with it,"_ Void ordered while looking at the card intrigued. The card floated up and into Void's hand. " _Look who abandoned you… Blaster Blade,"_ Void chuckled.

" _What did you do to my Vanguard?!"_ Blaster Blade growled angrily.

"I just put him in a trance so that he wouldn't notice when I just snatched you away," Darcy explained.

" _It is about time you are disposed of,"_ Void said as Blaster Blade's card began turning blank. The soul that came out of it was confined in a dark barrier made of negative energy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aichi was in the plane sitting beside Kai. The plane was already flying in the air and Aichi was asleep. Kai watched Aichi who was shaking his head and had an uncomfortable expression. "Stop… no! Blaster Blade…! Don't leave me alone…!" Aichi cried in his sleep. Kai noticed his deck face-up in his hand and saw that the art of the card on top was turning black.

"What...?!" Kai exclaimed before carefully picking up the card to have a closer look. The card was indeed turning blank and he identified the card as Blaster Blade. The name soon disappeared as well. "This is like…" he muttered while remembering something. He shook Aichi awake with the card still in hand. "Aichi, wake up," he called.

Aichi shot forward in his seat breathing heavily. "Blaster Blade…!" He called.

"Something must have happened back there," Kai said while holding out the blank card. Aichi's eyes widened and he took the card into his hand.

"Blaster Blade… how? When…?" Aichi thought to himself. He remembered when Blaster Blade was talking to him before he got put into a trance. It was the last time he heard from Blaster Blade. "That witch took him from me then…" he said sadly.

"It's okay. Let's do what Blaster Blade planned for you," Kai assured.

"But… he must be suffering somewhere," Aichi responded sadly. He looked down at the card.

"He will be fine. He would want you to get your memories back before trying to save him," Kai repeated.

"I guess... I'll try my best for Blaster Blade," Aichi said with a breath and a nod.

"Kai, can we have a cardfight?" Aichi requested. His voice was full of resolve. He tensed up after noticing that he didn't know how to play and he knew Kai was really good. "I mean… I don't know how to play, but I think I can pick up on the rules quickly," he added.

"Alright, I'll fight you. For now, let's pretend that this is Blaster Blade. Your deck won't be complete without him," Kai explained. They opened their tray tables. "We don't have a fight table here, but you can imagine that there are six circles in the middle, a damage zone on the left side, a drop zone on the bottom right and the deck zone on the top left," he explained as he placed his deck on the top right corner.

"Okay," Aichi responded while trying to take in all the information. He closed his eyes and visualized it. He recalled how the table looked in his dreams. He opened his eyes when he had a pretty clear image of how it looked like.

"In each of our decks, there is a starting vanguard - it is a grade zero without a trigger marking on the top left corner. For your deck, it is Advanced Party Seeker, File," Kai explained. Aichi looked through his deck and found File. He was starting to feel his instincts take over. He had played the game so many times, his body moved on his own. Aichi placed File at the top-center of the table.

"Now, picture it," Kai said. He looked at Aichi's face directly and it looked like he had remembered something. "We are standing on the surface of the Planet Cray, a planet similar to ours. While we are here, we have two abilities at our disposal. The first ability is the ability to call- you can summon the creatures of this world to fight for you. The second ability allows you to possess one of these creatures, it is called a ride," Kai explained thoroughly.

Aichi nodded his head. "I understand. I remember hearing these rules before…" he responded.

"That's good. Then you should remember what's next then," Kai responded. Aichi nodded.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"Alright, now the battle begins. We start our turn by drawing a card," Kai said while drawing a card. "Each turn, I can promote my vanguard up a grade as long as the unit is the same or one level higher than the current vanguard. I ride, Embodiment of Armor, Bahr!" he declared before placing his unit on top of Dragon Knight, Sadegh.

"Unfortunately, I can't attack when it is my first turn. So I'll end my turn there," Kai said.

"I draw," Aichi instinctually drew a card from his deck. "I ride, Little Sage, Marron!" He declared. His hand moved File back without him thinking about it. It was a familiar and strange feeling. Everything was coming back to him. Kai smiled when he saw that Aichi was doing it without him teaching him.

"I call Honest Seeker, Cynric," Aichi said. "I attack your vanguard with Marron," he turned Marron to its side.

"I don't guard," Kai said. Aichi turned over his top card. It was the blank Blaster Blade card. "I guess I didn't have to explain anything after all. It seems you still know how to play even if you don't remember. You just did a drive check. You're looking for an icon located at the corner of the card called a trigger," Kai explained.

Aichi was thinking about something. "What is it?" Kai asked.

"I don't remember what was on Blaster Blade's card…" Aichi responded while trying to visualize Blaster Blade's card in his head.

"You don't need to think that hard. Just remember that Blaster Blade is a grade two. Triggers can only be found on grade zero cards," Kai explained. Aichi got it and nodded. "Let's continue," he said.

"Okay," Aichi turned File and Cynric. "Cynric attacks your vanguard with a boost from File," he declared after making the move.

"I don't guard," Kai responded. He took two damage on the first rotation of turns.

"I'll end my turn then," Aichi informed.

"Alright, I'll draw and ride Dragon Knight, Nehalem," Kai declared. "I call Burning Horn Dragon and Flame of Hope, Aermo."

"With a boost from Sadegh, I attack Marron with Nehalem."

"I don't guard," Aichi responded.

"Drive trigger check," Kai said before turning the card from the top of his deck. It was Dragonic Overlord. Aichi recognized that card the instant he saw it.

"With a boost from Aermo, Burning Horn Dragon attacks. He gets 3000 power when I declare the attack. Also, I use Aermo's skill to discard a card and draw a new one," Kai said.

"I don't guard," Aichi responded. It was now two to two.

"I end my turn," Kai declared.

"I stand and draw." Aichi was beginning to feel a rush when he took Blaster Blade's card into his right hand. When he raised the card to ride, he saw Blaster Blade's card as it was normally. "Now... stand up my Avatar! Ride, Blaster Blade!" He declared while riding Blaster Blade. Kai could tell that Aichi was remembering.

"Using Blaster Blade's skill," Aichi said. He turned over a card in his damage zone. "I force Burning Horn Dragon to leave your field." Kai moved Burning Horn Dragon to the drop zone.

"I move Cynric back and call Knight of Silence, Gallatin. With a boost from File, Blaster Blade swoops in," Aichi declared.

"I guard using Embodiment of Spear, Tahr," Kai declared.

"Drive check," Aichi turned over the top card and revealed Bringer of Good Luck, Epona - a critical trigger.

"That symbol on the top right corner is a critical trigger. It gives you a bonus of 5000 power and if an attack lands, it deals two damage instead of one. You can split the effects between two units if you want," Kai explained.

"I will give all the effects to Gallatin. With a boost from Cynric, Gallatin attacks," Aichi ordered.

"I don't guard," Kai responded. He flipped the two cards and moved them both to the damage zone.

"I end my turn."

"I stand and draw," Kai said. He took a card from his hand. "Burn everything to ash with your apocalyptic fire! I ride, Dragonic Overlord!" Aichi gasped in surprise. "What's wrong?" Kai asked.

Aichi held his head in pain at first, but then he smiled happily. "Kai, I remember," he said happily. He picked up Blaster Blade. "This card means a lot to me because you gave it to me when I was at the lowest point of my life," he remembered.

"So you remember everything after seeing Dragonic Overlord?" Kai asked.

"I guess with Blaster Blade as my vanguard and Dragonic Overlord as your vanguard made me remember," Aichi answered happily. "I don't know... I feel like saying, 'I'm home'. Has everyone been looking for me? Were they worried?" He asked in a different tone from before.

" _Aichi doesn't talk like that…"_ Kai thought. He looked at Aichi trying not to look suspicious.

"Since you disappeared, we have been searching for you every day. We had no idea if you were still out there until they found an article about you on a website saying you were in Gardenia with a girl," Kai explained while hiding the fact that he knew that something was controlling him.

"I must have really worried everyone… but I'm back now. That should put everyone at ease," Aichi responded with a smile.

"I'm sure they will," Kai answered. "Should we continue our card fight then?" He asked before taking a card out of his hand.

"Actually, Kai. I wanted to talk more," Aichi responded while trying to get Kai to stop the fight.

"We can talk while we're fighting," Kai answered. "I call another Burning Horn Dragon."

"Kai… I really just want to talk with you without any distractions," Aichi repeated. Kai can tell his tone was getting rougher and more impatient.

"You would usually never stop a card fight no matter what..." Kai commented. He noticed Aichi stiffen up. "Alright, maybe we can continue this later," he said.

Aichi smiled after getting what he wanted. Kai piled his cards back into a single deck. Once he was done, he turned to Aichi. "Well, Kai. I was wondering-" Aichi began.

"Before that, let me ask you something," Kai interrupted.

"What is it…?" Aichi responded.

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

Aichi smiled the way he usually does. "I am Aichi Sendou. Can't you tell?" He answered.

"No, you aren't 'Aichi Sendou'. Aichi would never end a card fight until it's done especially for a reason as dumb as wanting to talk. And.. the way you speak and act, it is completely different," Kai explained aggressively.

"Oh, really?" Aichi said. "That's quite perspective of you, Toshiki Kai," he chuckled.

Aichi held up his hand in front of him and looked at the United Sanctuary crest fondly. It was on the back of his hand. "I am Void. I am taking advantage of Blaster Blade's connection with Sendou to control him," he explained happily.

"What do you want with him?" Kai asked. Aichi slowly began to gather his cards together.

"I'm sure you don't know, but the strongest human soul is needed for a plan I have with one of my close friends. We need to sacrifice that soul to summon the ultimate power. It just so happens that the soul is Sendou's. And lucky for me, I get to keep the soulless body he'll leave behind," Aichi explained with a malicious smile. Kai has a distressed look on his face. "I like that expression. I wanted to tell you so that I can see it," he laughed.

"I will stop you. You aren't taking Aichi away again," Kai said.

Aichi smiled and leaned back on the headrest. "We'll see about that. With Blaster Blade in my hands, I can make Sendou do anything for me," he whispered. He closed his eyes and the crest disappeared.

Kai shook Aichi. "Hey, wake up, Aichi," he called. Aichi slowly opened his eyes.

"Kai…? What's wrong?" Aichi asked confused.

"It's nothing. Do you remember everything?" Kai answered.

"Kind of… I remember the Asian Circuit, Nationals, Link Joker and the Messiah Scramble. I remember the people around me, but the names aren't clear yet. I really want to see everyone again, but they will be in danger if I return," Aichi explained.

"Aichi. It's important for you to know this, so I'll tell this to you directly... just now Void was controlling you using the connection you have with Blaster Blade," Kai informed.

"Did I do anything to you?" Aichi asked urgently.

"No, it seems that it just wanted to talk to me. Void told me everything. About them planning to sacrifice you to gain power and about Void taking your body as a vessel afterward," Kai explained.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Aichi apologized sadly.

"Aichi, you should cut your connection with Blaster Blade. If you do that, Void wouldn't be able to take control of your body without us knowing," Kai suggested seriously.

"But… I don't know what Void will do to him if it realizes that I severed our connection," Aichi pointed out sadly. "I can't give up on him," he said with resolve.

"If only Takuto was still around. Maybe you could fight him and bring Blaster Blade back like how you did at the Messiah Scramble," Kai commented. Suddenly, the seat belt light turned on.

" _We are experiencing some stormy and windy weather. Please put on your seatbelts,"_ the captain said. Aichi and Kai put on their seatbelts.

"You should get some rest. I'll watch over you so don't worry okay?" Kai suggested. Aichi nodded before relaxing on his headrest and falling asleep.

After a long flight, they soon made it to Japan. Kai picked up his luggage and they walked outside. They found three people waiting for them at the Arrivals part of the airport. "Welcome home, Aichi!" They cheered.

Aichi smiled. He recognized all of their faces. "Thank you... everyone," he thanked happily.

"Bro!" A spiky black haired boy cried before pouncing on Aichi.

"Hello. If I recall correctly, your name is Kamui right?" Aichi asked nervously.

"Aichi, you really did lose your memory?" A pink haired girl asked.

"I did, but I'm gaining them back. I do remember you, Misaki," Aichi answered happily.

"How about we head to Card Capital first? We will have more time and privacy for introductions," the oldest man suggested.

"Okay," Aichi agreed. He walked with the older man outside. "I'm sorry, but can you remind me of your name?" He asked.

"I am Misaki's uncle, Shin. I own and manage the shop, Card Capital," Shin answered sadly. He was disappointed Aichi couldn't remember his name.

"Shin… you're the manager of our team back at nationals right?" Aichi muttered while thinking about the name.

Meanwhile, Kamui, Kai, and Misaki were behind them. Aichi walked with Shin in front of them. They were far enough so that they couldn't hear what the others were discussing. "Listen... Void is back and it has his eyes on Aichi. Void can take advantage of Blaster Blade's connection with him and he can take control of his body without us knowing because of it. If you ever notice him not acting like himself, be careful and make sure he doesn't run off," Kai explained.

"Okay, Kai," they responded.

They walked outside and a taxi picked them up. Shin sat on the front passenger seat, Kai sat on the second-row seat on the driver's side with Misaki who sat on the passenger's side, and Kamui sat on the third-row seat on the driver's side with Aichi who was on the passenger's side. "Bro, do you remember when we were Team Q4?" Kamui asked enthusiastically.

"I do. We won Nationals, then competed and won the Asian Circuit together," Aichi answered.

"It's is good that you remember that much," Misaki commented. The taxi driver was taking frequent glances at the rear-view mirror.

" _What is the driver looking at…?"_ Kai thought. He glanced over and tried to angle himself so that he can see what he was looking at. He swore that the driver was taking glances at Aichi.

They soon reached Card Capital got out of the car. The driver was acting strange and Aichi noticed. "Is something wrong?" He asked the driver kindly. Suddenly, the driver lunged at Aichi.

"Aichi!" Everyone exclaimed. Kai pulled Aichi's forearm towards him, which caused Aichi to shift over making him avoid the driver just in time.

"I must capture you, for my love!" The driver exclaimed maniacally.

"For your love?" Kamui asked sounding disgusted. Kai, Kamui, and Misaki stood between them.

"Who is your love?" Aichi asked. The driver ignored his question and began charging in again.

"Hey! Looks like someone needs help!" A voice said from behind them. It was evident that they were trying to sound like a hero. Two people came out of Card Capital. A tall purple haired man stood between the group and acted as a wall to protect the group.

Aichi turned to look that them. "Tetsu and... Ren?" He asked.

"Ding ding! Correct! I'm so happy you remember me, Aichi!" Ren cheered childishly.

"It has been a while, Sendou," Tetsu greeted.

"I think we can deal with this guy, how about you guys take Aichi inside?" Ren suggested happily. They took Aichi inside while Ren and Tetsu were left to deal with the crazy taxi driver.

"Who are you and why are you after Aichi?" Ren asked aggressively.

"I ordered him to capture that sacrificial fairy boy," Darcy answered appearing in the sky. Stormy was with her.

"And who are you? How are you flying?" Ren asked childishly. He didn't even look scared, he was standing there casually with hands inside of his pockets. Tetsu had finished dealing with the driver by then.

"We are witches and we are here for that boy. Hand him over and you won't get hurt," Stormy answered.

"Not a chance. Aichi just came back and we are not going to let him disappear again," Ren declined with a smile.

"Big mistake!" Stormy exclaimed before sending a tornado his way. A dark barrier appeared around Ren and Tetsu. Upon touching the barrier, the tornado vanished. "What?! Another human that has powers?!" Stormy exclaimed in shock.

"You cannot possibly think that Aichi is the only one with powers, right? Now, if you are smart, you will leave!" Ren responded with a confident smile. A dark sword with the same shape and style as Blaster Blade's appeared. But before he could do anything, they disappeared. "Awww... I guess I did tell them to leave... but I really wanted to try out my new power..." Ren cried as his sword disappeared. He and Tetsu walked back inside the shop. There were a lot of people inside and there was a banner reading- 'Welcome back, Aichi!'. Kai was standing to the side watching them come in as everyone else gathered around Aichi.

"What was that power, Ren?" Kai asked.

"Oh! You saw that, Kai~? How embarrassing?!" Ren sang acting like a school girl.

"So what is that power?" Kai repeated this time sounding slightly... very annoyed.

"That's scary, Kai! Alright! I'll tell you! When Aichi disappeared, I was called by Harmonics Messiah to a temple in my dream. There, Harmonies Messiah explained how Aichi needs my help and gave me powers similar to Aichi. Harmonics Messiah also explained how Takuto noticed the immense power coming from him when he was born which made him go down to Earth to seal it, yada yada yada. And now the seal is breaking slowly, so Aichi is gaining his power back," Ren explained before catching his breath at the end.

"And you didn't tell that to anyone because...?" Kai asked.

"It slipped my mind until now," Ren answered childishly while scratching his head.

"As useless as always," Kai commented coldly.

"Hey! Why are you so mean Kai?! I just helped Aichi out, didn't I?" Ren cried. He ran in for a hug, but Kai pushed him away. "I was just kidding," Ren pouted.

"Well, that isn't my fault, is it?" Kai asked before walking over to Aichi.

"Ren, are you hurt anywhere? That Kai, he always acts so cruel to you," A blue haired girl said in concern.

Ren smiled childishly. "I'm just fine, Asaka. But Kai seems to be on edge about what happened to Aichi," he responded while looking over at Kai. His face turned serious. "I guess I should stay by Aichi's side and watch over him for a while," he thought to himself.

Aichi was sitting down on the table smiling as everyone began fighting each other. Kai was sitting beside him, so Ren walked towards them. "Oh, Ren. Thank you for helping me just now," Aichi thanked bowing his head.

"No problem, Aichi~! I was given this power for a reason," Ren responded happily. Aichi looked at the blank card in his hand. "Hey, Aichi. I think you should stay at the Asteroid headquarters with Tetsu and Asaka for now, or maybe we can have a sleepover at your house instead~!" Ren suggested excitedly.

"That should be a good idea. Ren can stay up all night to make sure you're safe while you sleep," Kai agreed.

"While he sleeps? I thought we can hang out all night so I can tell him how much fun we had in the past when we were best friends," Ren responded.

"I suddenly don't think it is a good idea for Ren to protect you," Kai commented after hearing Ren's plans.

Aichi simply smiled awkwardly. "I don't mind staying with Ren today. Tetsu and Asaka will be there too, so I should be fine," he assured. Ren put his arm around Aichi's shoulders.

"See, Kai~! He will be just fine with me," Ren repeated to Kai. "You can come over too, Kai~! All three of us can sleep in the same room," he suggested happily. He just kept emphasizing and extending the 'ai' in Kai's name whenever he got the chance.

"Stop saying my name like that!" Kai snapped annoyed making Aichi jump in his seat.

"Okay, okay~! Don't scare Aichi with your yelling yet. So what do you think? Are you coming to the sleepover?" Ren asked while trying not to annoy Kai any more.

Kai sighed. "I guess. I can't leave Aichi with you alone without some more supervision," he agreed while scratching his head.

Ren pouted. "What do you mean by that?!" He asked childishly.

"That's exactly why," Kai responded in a harsh tone.

"Can I visit my house first? I really want to see my sister and mom again," Aichi requested. He tried to break the tension.

"Alright, let's go. But you need to lead the way because we don't know where you live," Kai agreed.

"Really?! But you went to-" Ren exclaimed before Kai covered his mouth. Then Ren realized what he wanted to do and gasped. "Oh! It seems that Kai never actually went to your house," Ren corrected after Kai let him go.

"Okay…? I'll see if I can remember," Aichi said. He stood up and walked to the door. "Hey, guys. I'm going to go home. I'm staying at the Asteroid Headquarters for the night after I visit home," he informed to everyone.

"Is it really okay to stay there for the night with Ren?" Kamui asked with distrust.

"Why doesn't anyone trust me? Harmonics Messiah entrusted me with this power, you know! I think I am really trustworthy," Ren whined with pride.

"I trust you, Ren!" Asaka cheered happily. She stood by Ren's side and Tetsu joined them as well.

"I can trust Ren," Aichi agreed with a confident smile.

"If you say so, Aichi," Naoki said. "We'll see you tomorrow then, okay? Here at Card Capital?"

"Okay," Aichi agreed. "We'll get going then, bye," he said. He walked outside with Kai, Ren, Tetsu, and Asaka. He looked around to see if he recognized anything.

"So, which way, Aichi?" Ren asked playfully. Aichi turned and pointed at a direction.

"I think it is that way," Aichi answered. Ren and the others turned to Kai to ask if it was indeed the right way. Kai nodded when Aichi began walking. Aichi continued following his instincts and soon reached a house. "I think it is here," he said before turning to Kai knowing that he knew where it was. Kai nodded with a smile.

The door opened and a girl walked outside. "I'm going, mom!" the girl who opened the door informed. Her back was turned so she didn't notice the group behind her. When she turned, she saw Aichi. "Aichi! You're back!" She cried as she ran and hugged him tightly.

"Um… Emi, my little sister?" Aichi remembered. Emi looked up in surprise after hearing how unsure he was.

"You should come inside! Mom was so worried since you disappeared after landing in America. She'll be so happy you're back," Emi explained happily.

"Weren't you going somewhere?" Aichi asked nervously as she took his hand and pulled him inside.

"That isn't important! It's more important for you to get your memories back," she responded. They all went inside the house. "Mom! Aichi's back after all this time!" She shouted happily.

"Aichi?!" His mom exclaimed from upstairs. She looked down from the staircase to see Aichi standing there. "Aichi!" She called as she ran down the stairs and pulled him into an embrace. Aichi was surprised, before hugging her back. She pulled back and put her hands on Aichi's face lovingly. "It really is you, Aichi. Where have you been?" She asked in tears.

Aichi scratched his head nervously. "Sorry, Ms. Sendou... he lost his memories," Kai informed sadly.

"Oh... it's okay! We'll make sure you remember everything soon! Thank you for bringing him home, Kai!" She thanked while bowing to Kai.

"It was nothing. I just happened to have a tournament there anyway," Kai responded while blushing.

"Let me make some dinner for all of you! You all must be hungry," his mom said trying to sound strong. She was definitely getting affected hard by this.

"Um... Thank you, mom!" Aichi thanked happily. She turned back while wiping her tears.

"Just wait in the living room. I'll be fast," she said. They all sat on the couch and waited for her to join them. Emi sat beside Aichi closely.

"Where have you been all this time?" Emi asked.

"It's... complicated... I'll explain everything when mom is done," Aichi answered. When his mom came back and sat down on a chair, Aichi explained everything about magic and the other dimensions including Lord Darkar, Void, and the Trix.

"Oh... I understand. But will you ever get your memories back completely?" Aichi's mom asked.

"He will probably, but we aren't sure yet," Ren answered maturely.

"It's okay, I remember a lot of memories right now. I'm already getting a lot back just by being here!" Aichi assured happily.

"We were so worried when your luggage came back here without you. Thank goodness you are safe," his mom cried.

"I'm here. Don't worry," Aichi assured with a warm smile. "I hope you don't mind me staying at my friend's house for today. I don't think everything will be back to normal yet," he explained.

"Be careful, Aichi," Emi said nervously.

"I will. I'll be going then," Aichi said before standing up from his seat.

"Come back tomorrow," Aichi's mom said.

"Okay!" Aichi responded. They walked together to the door and left.

"This way to Asteroid Headquarters!" Ren cheered before jumping around. By then, it was already really dark outside so they hurried to the Asteroid Headquarters.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **School started again, but I really wanted to put out one more. This chapter was actually a really long chapter, so I had to move some of the content to the next one. Funny thing is that this is still the longest chapter I've ever written not including one shots.**

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Good luck to everyone that just started school again, and I'll see you in the next one!**


	8. Disturbed Vacation

Aichi looked up at the tall building. He knew he has been in the building before since it looked very familiar. He stood there for a little while looking up. "Why are you just standing there, Aichi? Come in! There is plenty of room on my floor!" Ren informed before pulling Aichi's arm and running playfully. Aichi almost tripped, but he managed to follow.

"Floor?!" Aichi asked confusedly while trying to keep up.

"Ren! Let him go!" Kai exclaimed while running after them. Tetsu and Asaka sighed before following along on their own pace.

"That's right! You can call this my home!" Ren confirmed happily. He was completely ignoring Kai.

They went inside the building and took the elevator up to the upper floors. They were stopping at three different floors. The first floor they stopped on the third floor from the top, the doors opened to some kind on circus room. It was huge. "Goodnight, Ren," Asaka said lovingly.

"Good night~! If you want to hang out in my room with Kai and Aichi, come up," Ren responded childishly. Asaka smiled and walked out of the elevator. She turned to the door and bowed as the doors closed.

The next floor opened up to a room that looked like a gigantic office room. "I hope you feel at home here, Sendou. Come to me if you need anything," Tetsu said with an emotionless tone.

"Thank you, I will," Aichi responded nervously before Tetsu left the elevator.

"Alright! Next is my floor!" Ren cheered as the elevator went up to the next floor. It opened up to what looked like a normal apartment room. It was really big, it had multiple rooms including a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. "Home sweet home~! What do you think, Aichi? This is your first time here right?"

"It looks really nice. It really feels like home," Aichi responded while looking around. When he walked inside the living room, there was a large couch and a gigantic window leading outside. He walked to the window and looked at the houses below.

"Ren. He could be possessed by Void at any time. Be on guard and watch him when I'm not around," Kai ordered while watching Aichi closely.

"Alright, alright. I don't want anything to happen to Aichi either, you should know that," Ren responded seriously. Suddenly, Aichi held his head in pain and fell to his knees. Kai and Ren ran to his side.

"Aichi! What's wrong?!" Kai exclaimed.

"My head... it hurts..." Aichi cried as a dark aura appeared around him. One of his hands moved to his chest and clenched it. "It hurts..." he cried again.

"You see that too right? This aura..." Ren asked Kai. Kai nodded and knelt down to check on him. Aichi resisted the darkness that was trying to take control of him. When suddenly, light exploded from inside him dispersing the dark aura.

Aichi felt relieved and panted. "Are you alright? Was void trying to take control again?" Ren asked.

Aichi nodded. "I'm fine now... as long as I react fast enough, I should be fine..." he assured between his breaths.

"You should get some rest," Kai suggested after seeing how exhausted he looked.

Aichi shook his head. "Void might try taking over again..." he responded. Ren sighed and pulled out a card. It materialized into a sword and he pointed at Aichi's face. Aichi looked up with more confusion than fear in his eyes.

"Aichi, if you really don't trust me with protecting you, I'll just have to force you to beak your connection with Blaster Blade," Ren threatened seriously. Aichi looked down in defeat which made Ren smile knowing that he broke through his stubbornness for once. "Alright then! You can sleep where ever you want," he said while retracting his sword.

Aichi looked around. "You can sleep in the room over there," Kai said while pointing at a door.

"That's my room! My bed is really comfy and big so we can all sleep in it together!" Ren informed cheerfully. Aichi looked at him with a face saying, 'I don't know about this'. Kai held his head looking like he was going to have a headache. "What? I'm serious!" Ren said.

"Well... I don't want someone to be sleeping on the floor so..." Aichi commented nervously.

There was silence for a little while before Kai sighed and scratched his head. "Fine... but I'm not going to lay beside Ren," Kai responded with a low growl.

"Great! I'll go ask Tetsu if he has any extra blankets because I like curling in my blanket," Ren cheered before skipping to the elevator. Kai stood there nervously because he was alone with Kai. There was a dark aura around Kai.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Aichi apologized while bowing in front of Kai.

"What are you apologizing for?" Kai asked coldly.

"I feel like all I've been doing since I came here is cause trouble for you," Aichi answered sadly.

Kai sighed and scratched his head in frustration. "You're definitely a little different without your memories. Let's hope you get your memories back soon," he responded.

"I'll try my best... Can we have a fight again...?" Aichi asked. He looked exhausted, but he looked very determined. Kai looked at him closely and saw nothing but resolve.

"Okay," Kai agreed before they sat on the couch. Aichi sat on the couch on the other side of the table.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Stand up, the Vanguard!"

* * *

Ren soon returned with Tetsu holding a blanket and two pillows. They walked into the living room to find Aichi asleep on the couch sitting up. Kai was about to move him so that he was laying down when they walked in. Ren and Tetsu looked over at the table and saw that the game stopped when they both had grade two vanguards.

"Hey... Take him to my room, Kai... Tetsu will help you carry him in when he puts the blanket and pillows in my room...!" Ren whispered while pointing at the door to his room. Tetsu sighed and dropped the blanket and pillows on Ren's bed before walking outside to carry Aichi.

When Tetsu lifted Aichi up, he shifted his head as if he was going to wake up before falling back to sleep. Tetsu carefully carried Aichi into Ren's room and placed him on the bed. "Aichi should be fine as long as I'm here. You don't need to worry too much, Kai," Ren assured with a smile before summoning his black sword. "You should get some sleep too. I can stay awake and if I do doze off, Blaster Dark will wake me up," he suggested.

Kai looked at him to see if he was actually serious. For the most part, he could tell that Ren was completely serious. "Alright... Wake me up if anything happens," Kai agreed. He slowly walked to the bed Aichi was sleeping in and laid beside him. He looked pretty uncomfortable, but he was tired because he watched over Aichi for the entire flight and never got to rest. It didn't take long for Kai to doze off.

"You could have told me that you were tired..." Ren commented after noticing that Kai fell asleep so quickly.

Ren sat down on his desk table and watched them. "Blaster Dark, it was weird of you to agree to help Blaster Blade," he teased playfully.

 _"It was an order directly from Harmonics Messiah,"_ Blaster Dark explained simply.

"You don't have to be so embarrassed... just say that you care for Blaster Blade," Ren responded with a giggle. Blaster Dark didn't respond to him. "Hey...! Blaster Dark...! Don't ignore me...!" He whispered loudly. There was still no response from Blaster Dark.

Ren knew that Blaster Dark was listening, so he sighed and kept watch throughout the night.

Meanwhile, Aichi was having a dream. He opened his eyes to see a very young Kai standing in front of him. "What's wrong? Did you lose a fight or something?" Kai teased with a laugh.

 _"This is Kai... I've seen this before... why am I recalling this now?"_ Aichi thought before he tried to walk to the side. He wasn't controlling his body.

"Hey, wait!" Kai called as he ran right in front of Aichi. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Vanguard card. He held it in front of Aichi. "Here, take this. Grow us to be as big and strong as this warrior," Kai said happily.

Aichi slowly reached out and took the card. It was Blaster Blade. "But I can't..." he responded sadly.

Kai laughed. "Maybe not now, but all you need to do is imagine being big and strong. Let that image be your power!" He explained with confidence.

"My image...?" Aichi muttered. A bright light engulfed him and found himself in a warm and comfortable surrounding. However, it was pitch black. _"Where am I?"_ He asked himself.

"Aichi! Wake up! Aichi!" A girl called. Aichi opened his eyes slowly and saw Emi standing at the door. "Good morning, Aichi! Breakfast is ready!" She informed before running off. Aichi slowly walked up and changed into a grey school uniform before walking into the washroom.

Aichi looked at the mirror and saw himself. He looked younger and his expression was much sadder. While wiping his face, memories of being bullied and isolated appeared in his head. "I don't want to go to school..." he said to himself as he looked up again. He felt a sensation and reached into his chest pocket. He pulled out a pocket notebook and looked at the back of the cover.

 _"It's Blaster Blade... the same one that was in that other memory..."_ Aichi thought.

"Blaster Blade... I'll do my best today...!" He walked out of the washroom and headed downstairs with his bag. "Good morning, mom and Emi," he greeted.

"Good morning, Aichi. You seem to be in higher spirits this morning," Emi commented almost teasingly. She also sounded a little concerned because of the forced enthusiasm.

"Aichi, it's almost time for school so hurry up," his mom informed after looking at the time.

"Okay..." he responded before starting to eat.

The scenery around him changed and the next thing he knew he was sitting inside a classroom. "Aichi Sendou!" The teacher called. Aichi was startled onto his feet. "If you were living in this period in time, what would you do?"

Aichi fiddled with his fingers while looking down blushing. "Well... I would make sure I had an escape route planned," he answered before the class roared in laughter.

"It is a good idea if you would like to only survive. Next time, image yourself making a big impact on the battle," the teacher responded. Aichi was taken to a new memory. He was outside the school with other students.

"A card like this is wasted if the owner isn't a fighter, so I'll just take it off of your hands," the student said before taking Blaster Blade's card and walking away.

"Wait! That card is important to me! Morikawa-!" Aichi cried before getting kicked to the wall by another boy. His memories appeared to him quickly after that.

 _"Why are my memories coming back now?"_ Aichi wondered. _"Void is the one that sealed them, so there has to be a reason..."_ he thought as more of his memories flowed through.

 _"Aichi!"_ A voice called. It was muffled. _"Aichi!"_ The voice was getting clearer. _"Wake up!"_

Aichi opened his eyes and saw Kai and Ren at the door. "Kai, Ren... is it morning already?" Aichi asked while scratching his head. Ren smiled playfully and opened up the curtains to let the sunlight in.

"Of course it is! Now it is time for us to get your memories back!" Ren answered happily. Aichi noticed that he looked very tired.

"It's alright. I remember everything," Aichi assured with a smile. Ren gasped and ran to him to confirm. Ren leaned in so closely that it made him uncomfortable. "Ren, you should get some rest. Weren't you awake all night with Blaster Dark?" He asked uncomfortably.

Ren gasped again. "You remember Blaster Dark!" He commented in surprise. He leaned in even closer until Kai pulled him by the back collar of his shirt.

"We'll know if he got his memories back with a card fight," Kai said. Aichi laughed nervously while scratching his cheek. They moved to the living room where they set up the board.

Kai watched Aichi closely and he looked like he knew exactly what he was doing which put him at ease. "So what's the plan?" He asked suddenly while he was setting up.

Aichi was a little surprised at the sudden question before looking down. "I don't know..." he responded while drawing and looking at his starting hand. "I may need to go to Void to save Blaster Blade. Also, Void might try to take control of me again," he explained.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Stand up, the Vanguard!"

"There's got to be a way that's safer than-" Kai said before a loud snore was heard. They turned to see Ren asleep on the other side of Aichi's couch.

"Ren did stay up watching over me. He deserves some rest," Aichi said quietly before drawing a card and riding his vanguard.

"I guess that guy was useful for once," Kai agreed before drawing and riding his vanguard. He turned back to Aichi to see that he was deep in thought. "What's bothering you?" He asked.

"Well, it's weird that Void suddenly just gave me my memories back... Void must be planning something..." Aichi responded.

"Don't do anything reckless. There must be a safer way than turning yourself in," Kai repeated seriously. "Don't make the same mistake as when you sealed yourself away because of the Seed," he reminded after Aichi didn't say anything.

"I know... but this time it's different. Blaster Blade was the reason Link Joker turned into a claim of Cray. We don't have his power anymore and we need to stop Void and his ally," Aichi explained. While he was talking he continued the card fight.

"If they get your soul, they'll summon this 'ultimate power' right? You'll put us in even more danger if you just hand yourself in," Kai pointed out. Aichi looked down and held the cards in his hand tightly.

"After everything, Blaster Blade has done for me... I can't just leave him. I will do whatever I could to save him," Aichi responded with resolve. Kai growled and hit his head a few times in frustration. "I'm never going to give up on Blaster Blade," Aichi repeated.

"I know... I heard the first time. Just think of a plan before you run in there," Kai said with a sigh.

"Do you have any ideas?" Aichi asked sadly when he drew Blaster Blade's blank card and rode it on top of his grade 1.

"We can think of something together. So don't rush into things yet," Kai answered. Aichi nodded. They didn't talk about the situation or the plan throughout the rest of the card fight.

When they were done, they packed up their decks. "We should head to Card Capital. The others must be waiting for you to come by," Kai said as he picked up his bag.

"Ren... we're going to Card Capital," Aichi said gently so that he wouldn't startle him awake. Ren simply nodded drowsily. "Thank you for watching over me last night. We'll be back soon," he thanked before walking to the door.

"Are you sure you don't need to be extra safe? Ren will keep you safe if you ask him to come," Kai asked as they were about to leave.

"It's okay. He already stayed up all night, I don't want to be such a burden to him," Aichi answered confidently. He walked to the door, but Kai didn't follow. "Kai?" He turned back to see Kai walking back to the main room.

"I'll wake him up," Kai said.

Aichi quickly walked to Kai and grabbed his arm to pull him back. "Kai, it's okay. I'll be fine," he assured. Kai pulled his arm to get out of his grasp. "Kai, I will be able to resist Void if he tries to take control," he informed seriously.

Kai turned with an angered look on his face. He looked face-to-face at Aichi. "What will we do if you can't hold him back?" He asked intimidatingly. "Aichi, do you understand how worried we were when you suddenly disappeared?" His voice was shaky from frustration. "If you were to suddenly, get attacked by Void or one of his followers, there is nothing any of us can do to help you. We'll feel even more helpless than we already feel."

"Kai... I can't have Ren staying up to take care of me every day," Aichi responded seriously. "It isn't fair for him to have to work so hard and overexert himself for me. I promise I'll be alright," he assured with a smile. Suddenly, he felt some negative energy in his chest. He winced and fell to his knees holding his chest.

"Aichi! Hey!" Kai shouted while kneeling down and checking on him. A dark aura surrounded Aichi, but he was resisting really well.

"I'm fine..." Aichi responded in pain. He began panting and tried to hold in his cries.

"You're not fine, Aichi," Kai said worriedly. The pain soon subsided when the negative energy began to disappear. When Aichi was alright, he fell forward into Kai's arms exhausted. "You need some rest after that," he said while holding onto Aichi.

"The others will get worried..." Aichi responded while trying to get up.

Kai sighed before pulling Aichi up and helping him onto the couch. He laid Aichi down so that he could get some rest. "I'll call Miwa to bring everyone here. I'm sure, Ren wouldn't mind," he informed before walking off to make the call. Aichi leaned back on the couch defeated. He was too exhausted to try to talk Kai out of it.

"Blaster Blade... please be okay..." he muttered weakly before sleeping.

When Kai came back, he was glad that Aichi was sleeping. Ren was right beside him also asleep. "Blaster Blade..." Aichi muttered in his sleep. Kai took the blanket from inside and pulled it over him.

Half an hour passed and the elevator doors opened. Misaki, Miwa, Kamui, and Emi walked inside. Emi was holding a bag that looked to be filled with food. Misaki was also holding a bag with clothes inside. "How is he?" She asked worriedly once she saw Aichi sleeping on the couch.

"He's fine. He's just tired from resisting Void's attempt to control him," Kai answered. Emi sat on the ground right beside Aichi and looked at him worriedly.

"If Kai says bro will be alright, he'll be fine," Kamui said while walking to Emi to put his arm around her shoulder lovingly.

"I know... My mom made lunch for all of you to thank you for taking care of Aichi," she informed while standing up before Kamui could finish his gesture. She handed the bag to Kai who put the bag into the table behind him.

"The guy who you should be thanking is down for the count," Miwa chuckled while pointing at the sleeping Ren.

"Is he okay?" Emi asked worriedly.

"He stayed up all night watching over your brother," Kai informed. "Nothing happened last night, but it is good to be safe," he added since Emi didn't say anything but turned her head to Aichi.

"That's a relief. I'm sorry Aichi is causing so much trouble for you," Emi apologized with a bow in front of Kai.

"It's not his fault. Also, Kai and Ren are happy to help Aichi whenever they can, right Kai?" Miwa asked while putting his arm over Kai's shoulders. Kai nodded.

"Thank you again. Please make sure he's safe," Emi thanked. "Oh, that's right! You should eat the lunch my mom made for you," she said while pointing at the bag on the table.

The elevator door opened again. Tetsu and Asaka walked inside with tea and snacks. "Mr. Tetsu, thank you for helping us get through the front desk in the lobby," Emi thanked politely.

"Security is taken very seriously at Asteroid Headquarters. Kai should have informed them of your arrival," Tetsu responded.

Asaka walked to Ren. "Ren, I've prepared some coffee for you," she informed lovingly. Ren slowly opened his eyes and stretched childishly.

"I'm still tired... wake me up when Aichi comes back..." Ren responded half asleep before falling back to sleep. Everyone turned to each other all giggling quietly since he didn't notice Aichi never left.

"Anyway, now that we know bro is okay, we can eat!" Kamui said before picking out a lunch box from the bag excitedly.

"Please help yourself," Emi said happily. She was sitting on the ground leaning on the couch that Aichi was sleeping on.

When everyone was eating, Aichi woke up. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was the back of Emi's head. "Emi...?" He muttered drowsily.

She turned surprised. "Aichi, you're awake!" She exclaimed relieved. Her expression quickly turned to a worried one. "How are you feeling? Does anywhere hurt?" She asked.

"I'm alright... just a little tired..." Aichi assured with a smile. "Sorry for making you worry..." he added.

"Do you remember-?" She began asking, but Aichi cut her off.

"I remember everything," Aichi answered happily. He pulled himself to a sitting position with Emi's help. "Void gave me back my memories... so I remember everything..."

"Really, bro?" Kamui asked happily. Aichi nodded.

"Isn't it strange for Void just to give you back all your memories?" Misaki asked suspiciously.

"That's what I've been wondering. I think Void is planning something, and it can't be good," Aichi agreed. Emi handed him a lunch box and a pair of chopsticks. "Thank you, Emi. Sorry, I can't stay home with you and mom. You two must have been the most worried since I disappeared," he apologized.

"As long as you're safe, that's the most mom and I could ask for. Now you should eat while you can," Emi responded mother-like.

"Okay. Thank you for the food," Aichi said before beginning to eat.

After a little while, Ren woke up. He managed to get three hours of sleep and luckily nothing happened while he was asleep. "Ren, good morning. Here is your coffee," Asaka said happily while holding out a mug with warm coffee inside.

"Thank you, Asaka," Ren thanked childishly. He turned to Aichi who looked normal. "I'm glad Aichi is okay. I had a nightmare..." he said relieved. He stretched before drinking some of his coffee.

"Ren, you're awake," Aichi said after noticing him.

"Good morning, Aichi! Next time, we should stay up together and fall asleep together..." Ren suggested childishly before drinking from his mug with two hands slowly.

Aichi's facial expression turned into an uncomfortable one as he turned to Kai who held his head like he had a headache from Ren's stupidity. "Maybe..." Aichi responded uncomfortably.

"Stop saying weird things to bro!" Kamui exclaimed.

"I was so bored last night...! And I only got like three hours of sleep! I can't survive like this!" Ren whined before throwing a tantrum in his chair. Asaka made sure to take Ren's cup before he began.

"That's your job. Suck it up," Kai said coldly.

"You try staying up all night to watch people sleep! It was so boring!" Ren continued. The words only made Aichi feel even more uncomfortable.

"Ren, I really appreciate your protection. I'll make sure to get stronger so that you can sleep," Aichi responded kindly. Ren leaned over the table so that he could hug Aichi's arm like a pet asking for a treat.

"You'll do that for me, Aichi?" Ren asked with teary eyes.

Aichi turned away and used his other arm to scratch his cheek sheepishly. "Yeah..." he answered.

"Let go of him and act your age..." Misaki growled while holding in her rage.

Ren quickly moved back to his sitting position before he leaned forward. "Misa-Q is so scary," he cried jokingly.

"Don't yell at Ren! He is going you guys a favour. You cannot expect him to provide protection forever, so you should think of a way to save Blaster Blade soon," Asaka said aggressively.

"What's your problem? Aichi just came back after being gone for so long!" Misaki responded defensively. They looked at each other with angry stares.

"Misaki, it's alright. She's right. Kai and I were talking about this before," Aichi assured to calm her down.

"Bro, you can't be serious. You should take some time to rest before you get dragged back into danger," Kamui said worriedly.

"I know that I should rest, but if I take the time to rest I'll only be inconveniencing everyone else. I should finish this so that all of us won't be burdened by this matter anymore," Aichi explained.

"Aichi, I understand why you always think this way, but you should learn to let others share your burden," Ren said adult-like. "I don't mind doing this for you if it means making you feel safer and less stressed," he added since Aichi didn't say anything.

"Thank you, Ren. I will make this up for you once this is over," Aichi thanked while bowing his head.

"Well, I am the only person that can protect Aichi... that makes me feel very powerful," Ren said happily. He pulled out Blaster Dark's card and transformed. "Don't I look cool?" He asked playfully. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. "What? I don't look cool? Come on!" He said before releasing his transformation.

Everyone began laughing except for Tetsu and Kai who just held their forehead. The happy moment quickly ended when Aichi felt a dark aura engulfing him. He held his chest and cried in pain. "Aichi!"

Aichi looked down and curled up on the couch. "Bro, are you alright?!" Kamui asked panickily. Everyone gathered around Aichi worried.

Ren ran to Aichi and looked at his face to see him smiling. "Move away, everyone!" Ren ordered while transforming. He pointed his sword at Aichi.

"Ren, I'm fine... don't scare me like that..." Aichi muttered. Ren saw the aura disappear, but he knew that Aichi wasn't himself.

"Ren, stop pointing that sword at bro!" Kamui shouted before taking hold of the arm that was holding the sword.

"That's Void," Ren responded before shaking his arm to get Kamui off of him. When he did, Aichi smiled and moved past Ren in the blink of an eye.

"How perceptive, Ren Suzugamori. I am impressed... I thought I hit Sendou's tone perfectly," Aichi commented before walking away slowly. "I will be leaving now. There is still a lot we need to prepare for, right Sendou?"

 _"No...! Stop...! Let me out...!"_

"Yes, Master Void," Aichi answered before laughing. He turned to the others and to see them all glaring at him. "This is a lot of fun. I can do whatever I want with his body. He can still feel the pain if you harm his body," he explained while looking at Ren.

"I'm sure Aichi would understand!" Ren said before lunging forward with his sword. Aichi summoned Blaster Joker's sword and blocked it easily.

"Do you really think that you can fight me?" Aichi asked with a smirk.

"You'll never know," Ren responded before pulling out another card and pushed it on Aichi's chest. Blaster Dark returned to his card form before positive energy flowed through the card and into Aichi's body.

 _"Blaster Blade... I feel him..."_ Aichi's spirit muttered from inside.

"This is impossible! Blaster Blade is in my hands!" Void shouted with Aichi's body before feeling his control weaken and break.

Void was forced away and Aichi fell forward unconscious. "Easy peasy~" Ren said after catching Aichi.

"Ren... what was that...?" Kai asked cautiously.

"It's just a little something Harmonics Messiah gave me in case this happens. They only gave me three and told me to use it wisely because they are hard to create," Ren explained childishly. He showed the card and revealed that it was a Blaster Blade Spirit card. "It seems they took three parts of Blaster Blade's spirit in case this would happen..." he added after the card completely disappeared.

"Why exactly did they entrust something like that to someone like... you know..." Kamui wondered out loud.

"What is that suppose to mean?! Ren is very reliable!" Asaka rebelled angrily. Ren smiled childishly before Kai gave him a shoulder to help Aichi onto the couch again.

"Do you think that Void will attack less often now that he knows that these pieces of Blaster Blade's soul exists?" Miwa asked curiously.

"Possibly... Aichi was able to fight back last time. I guess if he has his guard down, it's a lot easier for Void to take control," Kai guessed. Aichi opened his eyes and saw everyone around him.

"Guys... what happened...?" Aichi muttered.

"Bro, are you okay now?" Kamui asked worriedly.

Aichi nodded. "I'm alright... Void caught me off guard. I'm sorry for scaring you... Thank you for saving me, Ren," he thanked.

"No problem, Aichi! I didn't do much anyway," Ren responded with a smile.

"Ren, sorry for doubting you. If it weren't for you..." Kamui apologized while turning away and scratching his head.

"I wouldn't expect you to notice! I think Blaster Dark gave me special powers or something," Ren said modestly. He knew that Kai probably knew as well. "Void probably won't try to do that for a little while since I used our special weapon, so what should we do now?" He asked enthusiastically.

"We can stop by Card Capital. We told the others to stay there, so they might still be there," Misaki suggested.

"That sounds good. I really want to see everyone to show them I have all my memories," Aichi agreed happily. He was quickly recovering his energy back.

"Are you up for that Aichi?" Miwa asked. Aichi nodded before getting on his feet.

"Okay! Let's go together!" Ren cheered before taking Aichi's arm and pulling him with him to the elevator door. "You should take it easy with the card fights though, Aichi. If you let your guard down again, who knows what will happen!" He informed after he pressed the button for the elevator.

"I understand. I'll be careful," Aichi responded seriously.

Ren turned and pouted after seeing Aichi's expression. "You don't need to be that serious though. You can still have fun right?" He asked enthusiastically. The others caught up to them and sighed.

"Ren, don't pull him up so suddenly!" Kai scolded.

"I know, I won't do it next time!" Ren responded insincerely. When the doors opened, he took Aichi's arm again and pulled him in.

"Why do I even bother...?" Kai sighed before getting in the elevator too.

They all walked together to Card Capital to find everyone still there card fighting. "Hello, everyone," Aichi greeted with a smile.

"Aichi! You came!" Naoki exclaimed before running to him and held his shoulders.

"Naoki, sorry to make you worry," Aichi apologized with a smile. Naoki looked surprised and looked at him closely. "Um... What's wrong, Naoki?" He asked uncomfortably.

"You seem a little different from yesterday..." Naoki answered while laughing and scratching his head.

Aichi laughed after understanding how Naoki felt. "Naoki... everyone. I have all my memories, so don't worry anymore," he informed happily.

"Really?! Why?! How?!" Morikawa asked shocked.

"Void just gave them back to me..." Aichi answered nervously.

"Well, it doesn't matter how he got them back. The important thing is that they're back!" Kamui cheered enthusiastically.

"Let's have some card fights!" Morikawa exclaimed loudly.

"Maybe next time... Aichi shouldn't card fight right now. You can fight Kai instead," Miwa said before pushing Kai to him. Kai glared at him which made him smile nervously.

Miwa and Aichi walked to a table and watched the card fights. "It must be hard for you to sit back now that your memories are back," Miwa commented while looking at Aichi's expression.

"There isn't much I can do. Who knows what will happen once I start playing," Aichi responded sadly.

"You better not be thinking about sealing yourself away again. You know that he won't let you do it," Miwa said while looking at Kai who was about to win against Morikawa.

"I considered the option, but that would mean that Blaster Blade would remain in danger too," Aichi responded while looking at his blank card.

Miwa turned to Aichi to see that he was thinking hard. He pushed Aichi's head with his pointer finger which made him snap out of his thoughts. "You still have time, don't think about it right now," he said.

Aichi turned to him and smiled. "I'll try," he responded.

* * *

The sun soon set and everyone began heading home. Kai, Aichi and the Asteroid trio walked to Asteroid Headquarters together. Aichi was talking to Kai and Ren. He was smiling and laughing until he suddenly felt a sharp pain. He clenched his head and chest in pain and stopped walking. "What's wrong?" Kai asked while holding his shoulders to keep him from falling.

Stormy and Darcy appeared. "Kai…" Aichi muttered.

"Take Aichi to Asteroid Headquarters. I'll be right behind you," Ren ordered. Tetsu pulled Aichi onto his back.

"How about you?" Asaka cried.

Ren smiled childishly. "I'm fighting!" He answered before pulling out a card. "Blaster Dark!" He called while holding up the card. Blaster Dark's sword appeared. Ren turned to Kai holding two cards of Blaster Blade Spirit. "Kai!" He called before throwing them to him. They nodded at each other before Kai ran off.

"Be careful, Ren," Asaka said before running away with Kai and Tetsu. Aichi was fighting against the negative energy that was trying to take control of him while on Tetsu's back.

"You're going to fight us alone? Don't make me laugh!" Stormy laughed. A tornado with lighting was formed and sent Ren's way.

"I don't know who you people are, but this is fun!" Ren said while cleanly cutting through the tornado making it disappear. Darcy appeared behind him for a sneak attack. "Attacking someone from behind, really isn't fair at all, don't you agree?" He asked as he turned his arm and swinging backward which knocked Darcy on the ground.

Stormy shot lightning out to Ren's front side. Ren quickly swung his sword and blocked the attack. "Suzugamori, fancy meeting you here," Void said sounding amused. Ren suddenly felt strange. He then noticed that his body couldn't move, Ren looked down closely and saw black mist holding him still.

"How do you like that?! Are you scared now?" Stormy laughed. Darcy joined in the laughter.

Ren began laughing as well. "This is fun. I haven't had so much fun in a long time! If the circumstances were dire, this would be much more enjoyable," he said more seriously.

"Is it possible that he is the soul we've been looking for?" Darcy wondered curiously after analyzing Aichi and comparing him to Ren.

"No, there is no chance. His power comes from a different source. Sendou's power comes from himself. Additionally, Sendou's power is leaps and bounds stronger than his current power. If Cray didn't seal his power when he was born, Sendou would be unbelievably strong now," Void explained confidently.

"Hm… if I were to guess, you have Aichi with you already right?" Ren asked with a serious expression.

"Correct you are. If I weaken Sendou and preoccupy you, there is no way I can fail," Void answered happily. A dark sphere appeared with Aichi curled up unconscious inside. "Our mission is complete. Let's return," Void ordered.

"Let's destroy him first," Stormy said charging another lightning ball.

"Do as you please, but your third member may need some help," Void informed. "Suzugamori, it seems you have failed at guarding Sendou. I will leave you with these two," Void said before leaving with Aichi.

Ren was released. "I am going to fight you and you are going to take me to Aichi," he demanded. Stormy threw the charged lightning strike. Strong dark energy came out of him which blocked the attack. He swung his sword backward at Darcy which surprised her when it created a cut on her face.

"Actually… let's go," Darcy said after feeling the cut on her face. She disappeared and Stormy followed too.

"Hey! Come back!" Ren called. His sword disappeared and he scratched his head. "I wonder what happened to Tetsu, Kai and Asaka…" he said. He ran toward Asteroid Headquarters and found all three of them on the ground unconscious.

"What happened?!" Ren asked while running to them. He pulled Asaka up from the ground since she was slightly awake.

"Sendou… something attacked us and they took him… The cards didn't work... They turned black before Kai could use them..." Asaka answered weakly.

Ren looked up at the sky. "Where did they take him, Harmonics Messiah?" He asked while using his Psyqualia to communicate.

 _"I cannot sense his presence anymore,"_ Harmonics Messiah answered sadly.

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **I am very sorry for the very long wait. It was very unfortunate that I was hit with some writer's block after my final exams. It was also unlucky that this chapter was actually not apart of the original story because I had a last-minute change after thinking of a new idea that I thought was much better than the old one.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I put a lot of work into it. Since I am on Summer Break and my writer's block has passed, the next chapter will come soon.**

 **Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter and I really do appreciate all the love and support! ^^**


	9. Final Preparations

When Aichi woke up, he found himself in Shadowhaunt. He was sitting on the ground with chains holding his body up from his arms. Aichi could feel that the chains were enchanted with dark magic. They were very strong, so he believed that Void helped with the creation.

"I'm here again... what happened...?" Aichi muttered. He was feeling dizzy and tired because of the atmosphere in Shadowhaunt. He sat there in silence and tried to remember what happened. "We were walking to Asteroid Headquarters when... Void took control..." he thought to himself.

Aichi remembered being on Tetsu's back before suddenly losing control in an instant. _"Void must have entered my body... I lost control so quickly..."_ he guessed. He remembered releasing a strong dark energy wave that knocked everyone away from him.

"Aichi!" Kai called while crying to get through the strong wind that Aichi was releasing out of himself. When he got close, he pulled out one of the cards that Ren gave him. "Come back to us!" He shouted.

"Sendou is currently unavailable. I will have to get rid of those pests," Void said from inside Aichi's body. The wind intensified which knocked Kai away and onto the ground. Kai hit his head on the ground and fainted.

Aichi was brought back to the present when he heard a frustrated shout. "You failed to bring Bloom to me?! The fairies weren't even able to use magic, and you still couldn't even handle that?!" Darkar shouted in anger.

"It's because their boy-toys were there. They weren't completely helpless," Darcy said making it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

"With your powers, you should have been able to handle all of them without any effort!" Darkar responded even more angrily.

Aichi pulled on the chains as hard as he could. _"They are going to go after Bloom... I need to get out of here...!"_ He thought as he tried even harder. Not long after, he began to feel a dark presence entering the room.

" _Sendou, I see you have awakened. I'm sure you heard my partner a moment ago. It seems it is your lucky day,"_ Void said.

"You aren't going to get away with this, Void," Aichi declared.

" _Strong words. We'll see. Once we capture that girl, we'll begin the ritual,"_ Void explained.

"Don't hurt Bloom!" Aichi exclaimed as positive energy began expelled from him. Void quickly changed into a human shape and Blaster Joker's sword appeared. The sword was stabbed into the wall which made Aichi flinched from being startled.

Void laughed before retracting his sword. " _That face you just made, it was priceless. I think that's the first time I've seen you in such a panicked fear. I hoped that I can see you do that before you get sacrificed,"_ Void said while pulling Aichi's chains up so that he had to stand up straight.

Aichi glared at Void as they looked at each other eye to eye. " _I cannot wait to have this vessel all to myself,"_ Void said. " _Although... I do need to change some things. I am really not fond of your outfits,"_ Void commented. Aichi didn't respond and simply just turned away.

" _What's wrong? Are you giving me the silent treatment all of a sudden?"_ Void asked tauntingly.

"Let me be alone," Aichi said while looking down on the ground.

" _You want to savor your last days on your own? That is a pity, but I am feeling rather merciful and kind today,"_ Void agreed before starting to leave. _"Sendou, I'll come to pick you up later for the ritual. I might come back if I sense some funny business though..."_ Void informed before completely disappearing.

Once the dark presence was completely gone, Aichi stood up. He closed his eyes and summoned the sword connected to his inner power. "The mark that Faragonda put on me didn't work...!" He thought after noticing that nothing happened when he summoned it. He looked up and saw that the mark was glowing, but then it disappeared without doing anything.

His heart began beating fast from the adrenaline running through his body. He turned his sword to the chains and tried to slash it. However, when the sword and the chain made contact, he felt a surge of dark energy entering him causing him to cry out in pain. _"Well, I did warn you that if you cause trouble, I'll come back. I didn't think that you would try something so soon,"_ Void reminded. _"If you didn't notice already, t_ _hose chains are created using my power. They cannot be broken by you without all of your power. Don't forget that some of your powers are still sealed. Because of that, I am still considerably stronger than you,"_ Void chuckled before turning into a human form again.

"Even so... how did you know...-?" Aichi asked exhausted.

" _Did you really think I didn't know about this sword?"_ Void asked while looking at his sword. Void began laughing hysterically while moving to step on the sword.

However, Aichi made his sword disappeared before Void can touch it. "Leave me alone!" He demanded angrily. Void noticed his strong positive aura appear around him again.

" _What if I had brought you someone special?"_ Void asked. Aichi felt the presence of Blaster Blade and he instantly calmed.

"Blaster Blade," Aichi identified.

" _Correct,"_ Void responded. A dark sphere barrier moved in front of him, he could see a light inside the deep darkness. " _Look what has become of your precious guardian. This happened simply because you fell for that witch's trance for just a moment,"_ Void chuckled.

Aichi leaned forward, but Void quickly moved Blaster Blade backward, out of his reach. " _Uh uh uh. Can't have you two together closer than this,"_ Void said playfully.

"How long are you going to keep me here?" Aichi asked.

" _Are you assuming you'd be able to escape?"_ Void questioned. " _You do realize that I can increase the amount of dark energy around you whenever I'd like. I actually weakened the dark energy around you so that we can have this nice chat together,"_ Void added.

"Are you expecting my gratitude?" Aichi asked.

" _Well, a nice meaningful, 'thank you, master Void', would sound really nice,"_ Void answered. The light inside the darkness began glowing brightly.

"I'm not going to entertain you," Aichi responded while turning his head away from Void.

" _Well, I guess I will really get going now. Remember that there is no escape from here, Sendou. Without Blaster Blade, there isn't much you can do. You have not mastered your powers, not like you are strong enough to break through those chains anyways. Especially since some of your powers are still sealed away. I'll make the negative energy around you stronger so that you can sit back and relax until that fairy arrives. Once she arrives, we will be ready to begin the ritual,"_ Void explained before disappearing taking the dark barrier containing Blaster Blade with it. Once Void was gone, Aichi suddenly felt the dark energy around him intensifies.

Aichi's legs gave way once Void left and he slouched down letting the chains on his arms pull him up. "Bloom's in danger… But I can't help her…" he said helplessly. He soon fell unconscious as stronger dark energy began to engulf him.

* * *

In Alfea, Faragonda hadn't heard from Aichi yet, which made her worried a little. Suddenly, a light appeared in the middle of her office and she recognized the spell. "This was the spell I put on Aichi to stop him from summoning his sword... Why did he summon it after promising not to?" She wondered. It seemed uncharacteristic because Aichi wouldn't break his promises without a reason. When the light disappeared, no one was there.

"Aichi?" Faragonda called thinking that Aichi might be playing a trick on her, even though his character wouldn't play a trick like that. "Griselda," she called while standing up from her chair. Griselda was quick to respond and entered the room a minute after being called.

"Did something happen, Faragonda?" Griselda asked.

"Being the girls here. I need to speak to them about something," Faragonda ordered while turning to look out of the window. She sounded serious, so Griselda knew that something happened.

"Okay, I'll bring them here right away," Griselda agreed before quickly walking out of the room. Not too long later, she returned with all the girls with her.

"Ms. Faragonda, what did you need all of us for?" Bloom asked curiously. Faragonda turned to them and they noticed how serious she looked. "Did something happen...?" Bloom asked nervously.

Faragonda sighed and began talking. "I am afraid that Aichi has been captured by Lord Darkar and Void," she informed sadly.

"How did this happen? Didn't you say that he went back to Earth to try to recover some of his memories?" Aisha asked while trying to stay as calm as possible.

"A while ago, when you and Aichi returned from your 'excursion' on Earth, I made Aichi make a promise to me to not use the sword that he used that day. That spell is meant to teleport him to my office whenever he did summon it. Just now, the spell activated, however, Aichi didn't get teleported here. Only someone powerful can nullify the spell which makes me believe that he has been captured," Faragonda explained thoroughly.

"But isn't Aichi the last thing they need to be able to summon the Ultimate Power?" Musa pointed out.

"I don't think that is the case anymore. If they only needed Aichi now, they would have had the Ultimate Power in their hands by now. Also, they would have had no reason to come after you while you were in the resort realm," Faragonda informed.

"What else would they need?" Bloom asked nervously.

"I believe that the last piece they need is the Dragon Flame. That means they need you, Bloom," Faragonda answered reluctantly. Bloom's face turned pale after hearing that.

"What?! Why would they need Bloom?!" Stella shouted protectively.

"It has been told in old legends that there are mages in charge of keeping the Ultimate Power safe from evil and greedy people. The mages of Realix probably used their magic to make sure the side of light also agreed to unlock the Ultimate Power. Darkar possesses the power of darkness with his Shadow Fire. Bloom, you possess the power of light with your Dragon Fire. To fulfill his desires, he will do whatever it takes to make you join his side and open the portal," Faragonda explained while looking at Bloom in particular.

"Bloom, you need to be careful. Make sure to stay together and watch over each other well. Icy, Darcy, Stormy, Void, or even Lord Darkar himself may show up at any second to capture Bloom, or maybe someone else to force Bloom to go to them," Faragonda added seriously.

"No problem, Ms. F! We're always together anyway, right girls?" Stella assured them while hugging Bloom and Flora since they were standing beside her.

"If all of us are together, there is about a zero percent chance for Darkar and Void to be able to capture Bloom," Tecna agreed enthusiastically in her own way. She, Musa, and Aisha also joined in so that the six of them were hugging each other as a group. Seeing them hugging like that brought a smile to Faragonda's face.

"But what are we going to do to help Aichi? He must be trapped in Shadowhaunt just like when we first met him... what if he loses his memories again...?" Bloom asked sadly.

"His memories will return after some time just like before. But if they obtain the Ultimate Power, everything will be over. Just focus on keeping yourselves safe," Faragonda assured while trying to dodge her question and the hard truth.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Shadowhaunt, the witches and Darkar were gathered in the room where Aichi was being held. "Void brought me this boy and two of the pieces of the codex. My minion brought me one of them and is going to bring me, Bloom. You, witches, have only brought me one piece of the codex. I am starting to think that you haven't earned your share of the Ultimate Power," he pointed out sounding unhappy.

"Hey, don't go blaming us. We technically brought back the Red Fountain codex, which makes us just as useful as Void," Icy pointed out trying to defend herself.

Darkar was about to say something but stopped when he heard a groan from Aichi. They turned to him and saw that he had a distressed look on his face. "Looks like the fairy boy is having a bad dream," Darcy commented with an evil laugh.

"The dark energy around him is quite intense. It would be abnormal if he didn't have any bad dreams," a voice informed. They turned and saw Kai standing at the entrance.

"How did that Earth boy get here?" Stormy asked after recognizing Kai.

"Earth boy? I am surprised you couldn't feel my powers," Kai responded before walking up to Aichi.

"Void, I apologize for their obliviousness. However, why did you bring this Earthling here?" Darkar asked respectfully.

"I was thinking that if I took over his best friend's body, he would be more than happy to hand with body over to me. I am quite surprised of how well this body is holding up though," Kai explained before kneeling down to admire Aichi's pained face.

"I thought that your power was so strong that it would make any body collapse except for the fairy boy," Icy said mockingly.

"There are some that can hold up for a while. The blond fellow also held up pretty well, however, I don't want the body to just start deteriorating everytime I use my powers. I want a vessel that can hold up no matter how much of my power I use," Kai explained with a smile. "Enough about that, when will that fairy be here? I have waited far too long for this vessel," he asked with a sudden shift in expression.

"My minion with bring her here soon. He just needs a bit more time to gain Bloom's trust fully, and then she'll be in our hands," Darkar answered.

"Perfect. I've waited for centuries for the opportunity to get a suitable vessel," Kai responded with a smirk before walking off. "Once your minion comes, I will wake up Sendou. He would love to have a reunion with his old friend, and watch you take control of his new one. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait," he said happily before disappearing.

 _"What do you mean by centuries?"_ A voice from inside Kai asked.

"Toshiki Kai, you are a curious person. I'll explain it to you because I believe it is a very facinating story. Long ago, I was actually a human just like yourself and I had a friend that possessed great powers of light. Actually, Earth use to be a place filled with magic. There were fairies, witches and wizards living among the population unlike the present day. We were the most powerful wizards in the world, we were basically unstoppable. The only ones that is capable of defeating one is the other. However, I believed we would never be at odds with each other. I was wrong. The friend I once knew befriended many other creatures, even magicless humans, and was praised for his use of light magic. I was not jealous of his fame, however, I was concerned that I would be losing a very important piece of my board. So I lured him using our friendship and poisoned him with my dark magic. I trapped him in a prison of darkness, the same prison I trapped Sendou in centuries later. I admired how weak he looked and his pained expression as his memories were slowly eaten away. He was in a weakened state, so he couldn't fight back and the darkness that I kept around him only made it worse. I thought it was a perfect plan before his new comrades came to rescue him. He escaped and I really did lose my greatest ally. The friend that I once knew fought with me to the death and destroyed my body, and the rest is history," Void explained enthusiastically.

"Of course, there are more details than that. However, that would take far too long to explain," he added after finishing.

 _"What does Aichi have anything to do with this? Why does he have the same level of power as you?"_ Kai asked.

"Quite preceptive... To put it shortly, my body was destroyed, but I managed to get my soul and power out and remain living. My friend wasn't able to get out unscaved either, I gave him a curse that would cause him to rencarnate some day so that one day I will have a suitable vessel for myself. I was also the one that spread the secret about the ultimate power. Actually, if my entire soul was imprisoned in a powerful spell, it would be known as the ultimate power as well. The spell that they are going to use is actually one that I created, and it will soon be used on my dear friend's rencarnation, Aichi Sendou," Void explained with a smile.

 _"How do you know Aichi is the true incarnation?"_ Kai asked protectively.

"It is quite obvious actually. I knew the second I saw him when he discovered Psyqualia. I did test him a few times to be sure, but that was truly unnecessary. I would have found him sooner if Takuto Tatsunagi hadn't interfered and sealed the powers deep inside Sendou. If I had seen him earlier before his soul and body were completely developed this process would be much easier than it is now. His personality, willpower and strength were completely the same as the person I knew. At this point, I would be surprised if he isn't the rencarnation of him," Void answered.

 _"Aichi stopped you plenty of times before, and now that I know this, I think you're as good as done,"_ Kai responded with a confident tone.

"We will see soon," Void said with a chuckle. "I will save the climatic reveal for later. For now, I'll let you rest," he informed before creating a shackle and chain to lock Kai's arm to the wall.

* * *

Later that day, Aichi woke up when the negative energy began to weaken around him. "The negative energy…" he muttered before pulling his head up. He looked up to see Avalon carrying Bloom in his arms. "Bloom!" He exclaimed while sending a glare to Avalon.

"Aichi, how unexpected of you to be here," Avalon chuckled knowing full and well that he was there before coming back with Bloom.

"I knew it. You really were working for Darkar and Void," Aichi commented angrily.

"Correct you were. Luckily, I cast a spell on Faragonda before you can tell her your opinions about me. It was quite amusing to watch you try desperately to make people believe you," Avalon responded with a laugh. He carried Bloom to the table at the center of the room.

"What are you going to do to her?" Aichi asked protectively. He moved leaned forward as far as he could, but he couldn't get any closer than twenty centimeters away from the wall. "Let her go! She has nothing to do with this!" He exclaimed.

"Actually, she has plenty to do with this. Someone informed the Mages of Relix that Lord Darkar was going after the Ultimate Power, so that caused them to activate the failsafe spell," Avalon explained.

"And what is this failsafe spell?" Aichi asked contently.

"The failsafe spell requires the Shadow Flame which resides inside Lord Darkar, and the Dragon Flame which resides inside Bloom to open the portal to Relix together. Without both powers being there, the portal will not open," Avalon answered.

"But Bloom will never help you open the portal. No matter what you tell her or how much you try to twist her mind, she will not help you," Aichi pointed out.

"That is why Lord Darkar will spell her. My master will be in complete control of her when he is done with her," Avalon informed. There were four cuffs on the table and he attached one to each of Bloom's wrists and ankles so that she could not escape. "We are not entirely sure who was the one who contacted the Mages of Relix, but I have a feeling your knight has something to do with it," Avalon commented as he finished up.

"Why are you doing this? At first glimpse, you look like a light spirit," Aichi asked while looking at Avalon's bright yellow wings.

"I am a loyal servant of Lord Darkar. I only exist to serve my master," Avalon answered. He began walking to Aichi with a gag. "Void said that you spoke too much and your words may cause trouble. This should keep you content while Lord Darkar takes over Bloom," he explained evilly. He reached out to put the gag on Aichi. In response, Aichi did his best to turn his head to stop Avalon from putting it on him, but it soon sealed his lips so that he could not speak.

He tried to talk but all his words were muffled. " _That is much better. I have grown tired of your words, Sendou,"_ Void commented with a chuckle. Aichi glared. " _Sendou, I don't like that glare,"_ Void commented as strong negative energy began to surround him again. Aichi's legs weakened and soon he didn't have enough strength to glare.

" _Yes! Show me more of your suffering! Your faces of despair really are the best!"_ Void cheered. Aichi's head dropped and he soon felt tired again. Darkar flew into the room and turned into his human form. " _My friend! Your servant brought in the fairy,"_ Void informed excitedly.

"We have all the pieces to get the Ultimate Power!" Darkar declared happily after looking at Aichi and Bloom. He sat on the throne near the back wall where Aichi was chained to, Avalon bowed down before him beside the table. Darkar waited for Bloom to awaken to begin the mind control process.

 _"I will be leaving to retrieve the little surprise I have for Sendou,"_ Void informed before disappearing. After waiting for a while, Darkar and Avalon went out after hearing there was a disturbance from Bloom's friends.

Bloom soon woke up and felt the dark energy in the atmosphere. "Where am I…?" She asked herself. She looked to the side and saw Aichi unconscious and chained up. "Aichi!" She called. Aichi's eyelids moved a little and he slowly woke up.

 _"Bloom's awake! She has to get out of here!"_ Aichi thought. He made muffled noises as he tried to say something to her.

"Aichi, I don't know what you're saying! What do I do? I'm tied down to this table!" Bloom asked panicked. Aichi noticed that his worry wasn't helping with the situation, so he looked at Bloom with a calm expression. "You're right, we can't panic. Did you find all of your memories?" She asked. Aichi nodded his head in response. "That's great! I'm sure you'll be able to get out of this and be with them soon," she assured while trying to get out of the restraints.

Aichi looked around for a way to release Bloom. _"There has to be a way to get Bloom out of here..."_ he thought to himself. _"Maybe if I can create a positive field long enough for Bloom to get our using her powers,"_ he thought to himself. He wanted to communicate his plan to Bloom, but he couldn't.

He simply gave Bloom a determined stare to try to signal her. "Aichi, what's up?" Bloom asked. Aichi closed his eyes and a positive field began to spread through the area. "Aichi, it's too dangerous for you to use your power like that!" She cried before she realized what he was planning. "I see! I understand your plan!" She exclaimed before starting to use her powers to break her restraints.

Avalon walked inside after feeling some positive energy. "Bloom, Aichi, what do you think you're doing?" Avalon asked before waving his hand which made the darkness around Aichi more intense. Aichi wasn't able to hold out and his positive field disappeared before Bloom could escape.

"Mr. Avalon!" Bloom exclaimed after her spell disappeared. She began to struggle again as Avalon walked closer to her.

"Hello, Bloom," Avalon responded. "I'm sure you had a nice rest after our small lesson," he said with a chuckle.

"Aichi was right about you!" Bloom exclaimed.

"Perfect, now that you are awake we can begin the process," a voice said before Darkar came in from the window in phoenix form and transformed into human form. "You're going to be mine, Bloom. You'll open the portal and summon the Ultimate Power together me!" He declared.

Aichi's vision began to blur, but he tried desperately to stay conscious. They began the process of Bloom's mind control while Aichi lost consciousness.

* * *

A while later, when the darkness around Aichi finally weakened, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up. His vision was blurry, but he could feel three powerful negative auras around the area. He felt someone take hold of his chin and lifted his head up. "Sendou, wake up. Here is the present I brought you," a voice sang. Aichi's vision began to return and he saw Kai in front of him.

"Kai…?" Aichi muttered.

Kai smirked. "No. Guess again," he responded maliciously.

"Void…" Aichi identified.

"Correct," Kai answered as he snapped his fingers. The chains disappeared letting Aichi fall forward into Kai's arms. "Toshiki Kai's body is strangely quite compatible with my power," he commented with a chuckle.

"Get out of his body," Aichi demanded. He pushed himself away from Kai's hold and stumbled to the wall. He used the last of his strength to hold out his hand and summon his soul sword.

Kai laughed. "Weren't you told not to use that around me?" He asked while taking hold of the arm that was holding the sword. "You're far too weak to fight in this state. Aren't you scared that Toshiki Kai's body might collapse? Through it holding up quite well, it won't last," he explained evilly before he concentrated his power.

Kai's hand began radiating dark energy. "Get out of Kai!" Aichi demanded. He used all of his strength to get out of his grip and he stabbed his sword into Kai. In doing so, Aichi felt the negative energy seep into the sword.

Void escaped and laughed. " _You're more powerful than I thought. I guess the seal got weaker since you keep asking for more power,"_ Void said. Aichi held the unconscious Kai in his arms. " _I guess we should begin now. I'll break the last of the seal with my power when we are at Relix,"_ Void said.

"You are going to regret doing that," Aichi warned while pushing himself to get on his feet. He left Kai on the ground in a comfortable laying position. Aichi raised his sword to Void looking ready to fight.

" _Sendou, don't be foolish. You should know full and well that I have the thing that can control you,"_ Void said. The dark cage with Blaster Blade inside appeared and Void touched the light inside. Aichi and Blaster Blade cried in pain once darkness began seeping inside. Aichi's sword disappeared and a dark aura expelled from his chest. He soon fell to his knees in agony.

" _Do you finally understand the situation you're in? Now, stay preoccupied with that while your friend and my friend open the portal to Relix,"_ Void said. Void took over Aichi's body and walked to Bloom and Darkar who were in the middle of opening the portal.

" _Bloom…"_ Aichi muttered from inside. He watched the evil Bloom open the portal with Darkar.

"It is time for our plan to begin," Darkar announced. He held out his hand for Bloom and guided her inside.

Aichi looked with intrigued eyes. "Hm… you two seem quite close," he teased.

"Of course. Now let's go, darling," Darkar said as he guided Bloom to the portal.

"Alright, I won't speak any more than this," Aichi chuckled before following behind. Before he walked inside, he turned back to Kai and smiled. "Sendou, say your final farewell to your best friend. You'll never see him again," Void said.

" _You aren't going to get away with this…"_ Aichi responded from the inside.

"Alright then," Void shrugged before walking through the portal. The portal closed behind him.

Inside, he saw a staircase leading to a platform with a table at the centre. Darkar and Bloom were already on the platform preparing while Aichi walked up the staircase. He looked at the table them down to the floor and saw that the platform had a magic circle on it.

"The ultimate power will appear when the boy's soul and powers are drained out by our spell," Darkar explained.

"Hm… if I break the rest of the seal now, I'm not sure I would be able to keep control of his body. We will be at the same level of strength, so I don't know if you'll be able to defeat him," Aichi informed.

"Then we will to defeat him," Bloom said evilly.

Aichi laughed. "Quite confident, I see... then I will break the seal for you," Void commented. A cracked vanguard circle appeared below him and shattered completely. When it did, Aichi was overflowed with positive energy. Void quickly escaped from Aichi's body and watched as Aichi cried in pain while holding his chest.

"My dear, let's attack together," Darkar said. They both sent attacks to Aichi, be they were both disintegrated before it was able to reach Aichi. Void stood to the side and watched the fight unfold. "Void, you're of equal power. You should join us," Darkar demanded nervously.

" _If I interfere, this space will be destroyed,"_ Void informed staying where it was. " _You better be careful, he is going to begin fighting soon,"_ Void warned.

Suddenly a burst of light exploded from Aichi. He stood where he was breathing heavily. " _Hm… you might have some trouble now,"_ Void chuckled.

Aichi's sword appeared in his hand. "I'll destroy you…!" He growled while still breathing heavily. He looked up and revealed his dull eyes seeming to be filled with pain. He charged at Darkar with incredible speed and raised his sword. Bloom sent an attack, but it was blocked by a barrier. Darkar held his hand out and tried to block Aichi's sword, however the sword went cleanly through his hand. Darkar shouted in pain and moved backward. The dark energy on Aichi's sword disappeared soon after the contact so he wasn't affected by it at all.

Bloom shot a spell from behind, but it was still no good. No matter what she threw, it just disintegrated because of the barrier. Aichi turned to Bloom and jumped up to attack her. " _He's too strong for you at this state,"_ Void laughed.

Void went down to Darkar and entered his body. " _I guess I should give a hand,"_ Void said. Darkar's hand recovered.

Aichi was about to attack Bloom. "Bloom… don't hurt her…" he muttered to himself. He suddenly fell back and put a hand on his head.

"Sendou, don't take a rest now. If you aren't consumed by your own power you'll never defeat us," Darkar taunted. It was obvious that Void was the one talking. Void left the body to let Darkar use his blast. It hit Aichi cleanly as he was trying to keep his composure.

Void stood up in front of Aichi, he was laying on the ground with his sword a little distance away. Void laughed and stepped on Aichi's sword while chuckling after hearing Aichi cry out in pain. " _You should calm down, Sendou,"_ Void said. Void summoned Blaster Joker's sword and stabbed it into Aichi to drain some of his energy. " _As long as that sword is stabbed into you, you will spend more and more energy counteracting the dark energy trying to enter your body,"_ Void explained evilly.

Aichi slowly fell unconscious and both of the swords disappeared. "Let's begin summoning the ultimate power," Bloom said evilly. Darkar carried Aichi to the center of the platform. They both began chanting a spell and Aichi floated up into the air. White streams of light exited Aichi's body and clumped together above him.

" _Looks like it is the end of the line for you, Sendou. I will make use of your body while you're gone,"_ Void commented while watching the ritual. " _I don't have any need for you anymore, Blaster Blade,"_ Void added before releasing Blaster Blade from his prison. The spirit moved to the Blaster Blade card that was on the ground at the bottom of the staircase.

 _"This is the end of the line. You have no more tricks that you can use."_

* * *

 **Hey guys, I am very sorry about the long wait times.**

 **I lied when I said that I'll post soon and I am truly very sorry. This is the second last chapter of the story and I'll do my best to get out the last one.**

 **I do want to make some tweaks to the tweaks before posting it. This chapter actually had more add on than you know and those changes to take a long time to complete. I hope you understand.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	10. The Ritual (Finale)

Meanwhile, Kai woke up in the room with the opened portal. "What happened to Aichi...?" He asked himself. He noticed that the portal was shrinking so he quickly himself up. "He must be in there!" He exclaimed before pushing himself up, but his body felt heavy so all he could do was watch the portal shrink even more.

"Aichi!" Kai called before the portal closed completely. "No way... Void got him..." he muttered in disbelief. He heard a ruckus just outside of the room and turned to the direction of the sound. He used all his strength to get up and on his feet. He heard footsteps running to the room so he stayed on alert. Aisha and Stella ran in with the pixies.

"They aren't here!" Aisha exclaimed.

"Now what?!"

"Who are you?" Kai asked defensively. He wasn't sure if they were working with Void or not. They turned to him as the guardian pixies gathered together. "What is going on here?"

"An Earthling? Why is he here?" Aisha asked.

"We don't have time! We'll open the portal to Relix for you, but we need to stay here to hold it open. Please be careful and do your best to stop Darkar," Ninfea informed in a very urgent tone. Kai stood there confused, but he knew it was something very important and whatever they were going to do, it would probably help Aichi.

"But how are you going to open the portal without the codex?" Aisha asked curiously.

"We know a special way to open the gates to the realm," Discorda informed.

"So we don't need the codex?" Chatta asked confused.

"No, we don't," Athena answered while she was getting into position. "We can use these ancient artifacts to create a portal. This has been kept as a secret and only the guardian pixies know about it. It was kept a secret only to protect the Ultimate Power," she explained briefly.

"Alright then, let's make this happen," Aisha said before they began to open the portal. Soon the portal was opened, and Stella and Aisha were about to enter inside.

"That's a portal… Aichi must be on the other side of it..." Kai thought to himself. "I'm going in with you," he demanded as he walked to them with his hands in his pockets.

"No way, you'll just get in the-" Stella refused bluntly before she was cut off by the portal becoming unstable. The guardian pixies took hold of the sides to keep it open.

"Hurry up and go through," Concorda ordered.

"Stella and I will go in, all of you stay and hold the portal open," Aisha ordered. Stella and Aisha ran to the portal, Kai followed behind them. "Don't come, it's too dangerous!" she ordered after noticing him following them.

"If Aichi's on the other side, I'm going too," Kai responded. At that point, there was no time for debate, so all three of them ran through it.

Inside, they saw Bloom on the platform chanting, while Darkar was on the bottom of the staircase helping out. The clutter of energy kept getting bigger and a dark veil wrapped around it to contain it.

Darkar stopped chanting after noticing them. "What?! How did they get in here?!" He exclaimed angrily. Stella and Aisha sent attacks to stop Bloom which made her stop chanting as well.

" _Toshiki Kai! You must get to me and release your Psyqualia!"_ Blaster Blade ordered. Void caught sight of Kai, who was looking at Blaster Blade on the ground.

" _This will be interesting,"_ Void chuckled. Kai ran to Blaster Blade's card and Void flew over at the same time. Kai couldn't see Void, so he didn't know that he was in any danger. " _Toshiki Kai, meddling again I see,"_ Void commented.

While Kai was running, Bloom fell to the ground after dodging the attacks. That temporarily stopped the spell and energy began returning back to Aichi's body.

Kai reached Blaster Blade's card first and activated his Psyqualia. Some of Aichi's energy moved to Blaster Blade's card and Blaster Blade's sword appeared. " _Kai!"_ Aichi's voice called.

"I'll free you! I can see Void now, so I can fight him!" Kai declared. He looked up to see a cloud of darkness above him. "Let's work together Blaster Blade," Kai said. Blaster Blade's spirit appeared beside Kai and nodded before entering Kai's body.

" _You really think you can defeat me? Sendou couldn't even do that with his full power,"_ Void laughed as a spear manifested. The spear was shot and Kai was scrapped on the shoulder. It didn't leave any cut marks, but it still hurt a lot. Void summoned his Blaster Joker sword and they began fighting.

"You keep chanting Bloom, I will stop them," Darkar said before leaving Bloom so that she could chant in peace. He began fighting Aisha and Stella while Bloom began chanting again.

"You aren't going to get away with this!" Kai exclaimed. He swung his sword at Void, there was a steady stream of Aichi's energy connected to Kai.

" _You know you won't be able to defeat me, make it easier on yourself,"_ Void responded. The swords clashed and the power of both swords created a small blast. They continued their battle until something sticky came out of the ground and pulled Kai onto the ground. Void began laughing with his victory. " _You're alone, I have a partner with me,"_ Void said while taking his sword and stabbing it into Kai.

Kai cried in pain as Blaster Blade reverted back into a card and the stream of energy disappeared. " _We need all of his soul and power to summon the Ultimate Power, so I'm afraid we can't have him sharing any with you,"_ Void explained while digging his sword further into Kai. " _Does it hurt? It shouldn't hurt as much as it would hurt Sendou, but you should be feeling your body strain to keep the darkness from consuming you,"_ Void laughed. Kai's cries became louder as Void twisted the sword.

" _Yes! Let me hear more of your pain! I was going to spare you if you hadn't come to save Sendou, but seeing as you wanted to resist, you got what was coming to you,"_ Void laughed as he continued tormenting Kai more.

Suddenly, the rest of the Winx and the Specialists came out of the portal.

"What is this?! This isn't a prep school mixer!" Darkar exclaimed.

" _What are you getting so worked up about?"_ Void asked casually. Void pulled Blaster Joker's sword out of Kai who was still restrained from the ground. Darkar sent an attack at the group which kept them from getting up.

"I'll finish all of you are right where you are," Darkar said before sending a barrage of attacks. Flora and Musa shielded the group but Flora was knocked away by the attacks.

"Flora!"

"You're going to pay for that Darkar!" Musa exclaimed angrily.

"How are you going to do that if you don't exist anymore?!" Darkar asked before sending another attack at her. Riven jumped in front of her and took the hit for her.

"Riven!"

Kai watched as the streams of light became thinner. "We're running out of time!" He identified. He once again tried to pull himself up, but it was no good.

Suddenly, lightning came down from the sky. "What is happening now?" Kai asked. A dark figure appeared with multiple glowing assessories.

"Is that you Icy?" Darkar asked.

"Nobody uses us!" Icy exclaimed.

"What do you want?!" Darkar shouted in anger. He sent multiple attacks, one attack after the other.

"We want the Ultimate Power just like you!" Icy answered. Darkar began charging a dark spell.

Kai turned to Void who was just standing there spectating. " _What are you looking at? Though he is my friend, I don't mind not sharing the Ultimate Power with anyone,"_ Void informed with a chuckle. Kai turned to Aichi to see that the stream began to disappear. Aichi was then dropped by the spell and fell on the ground. The dark capsule encapsulating the power began to glow brightly.

"Aichi!" Kai exclaimed. He pulled harder against the sticky gunk holding him down but to no avail.

"Wait for me, my dear," Darkar said. He had weakened the witches before turning into a phoenix and flying to Bloom.

" _Looks like the body is mine to keep,"_ Void said before flew to Aichi's body and entered it. Aichi soon opened his eyes. They looked dull eyes and intimidating. He sat up and looked up at the Ultimate Power that began floating down into Bloom's raised arms.

"Bloom, no!" Sky cried loudly.

"The power is ours!" Darkar declared confidently. "And now, Bloom will hand it over to us! And we will rule all the realms!" They began to fly down and Void stood up, ready to accept the power.

"If I can talk to her, maybe she'll listen and it can reach beyond the spell," Sky suggested confidently. He slowly pulled himself up from the ground while fighting against the spell that was forcefully holding him down. After feeling stable on his feet, he began walking to Bloom with trouble.

"What are you going to do? Ask her to the prom?! Sorry! She's busy!" Darkar exclaimed. "Give use the power now, Bloom!" He ordered impatiently.

"Wait, Bloom! Try to listen to my voice! It's me, your boyfriend! Darkar put you on a spell... this is not who you are Bloom, you're not evil! You might not be able to see it now Bloom, but you have a true heart…!" Sky said sincerely. Bloom's evil smile turned into a confused look.

Kai was watching the power, it was growing more and more unstable and it was pulsating. "The capsule is becoming unstable..." he identified. "Is it because he is getting through to that girl?" He wondered.

" _Could this be…? Impossible…"_ Void thought before shrugging with a laugh.

"I know what your heart is like, I felt it! Your heart is full of light, Bloom! Your heart is so pure and good that it saved me. You didn't let me go, so I'm not going to let you go! So you have to fight this Bloom! You have to break free! You have to come back! Because I love you!" Sky exclaimed with the last of his energy. Kai saw the capsule begin to crack as Sky fell to the ground.

"Sky!"

"Looks like your time is up! In fact, all your time is up!" Darkar said.

"Aichi! Wake up!" Kai shouted. He used all of his strength to reach out for Blaster Blade's card and throw it at Aichi's body. Void caught the card subconsciously looking bewildered. Suddenly, Bloom began glowing and so did the power.

"Bloom! What are you doing?!" Darkar exclaimed.

Kai looked at Aichi's body, Void was in so much shock and stood there stiffly. "I can't move… Everything happened so fast…" he muttered. "Blaster Blade...! How did you do this...?!" He growled angrily. The capsule cracked completely and exploded releasing a wave for positive energy.

Bloom turned back to normal and held the Ultimate Power in front of her chest. Aichi's soul was glowing brightly and she heard a voice. _"Bloom...? What happened...?"_ He asked weakly.

"Aichi! Quickly! Break the spells!" Kai called loudly. Light radiated from the core of the power and created a space of powerful positive energy. All of the dark magic in the area was lifted which allowed everyone to get up from the ground.

"How did she do it?" Stella asked.

"She used the power in her heart to fight the darkness," Flora answered proudly. Kai began running to the side of the platform Aichi was standing on.

"I feel so much positive energy…" Timmy said. When everything was done, streams of light returned into Aichi's body. The power was so strong that Void had to retreat from the body.

 _"Sendou!"_ Void growled as he was forced out. When Void completely left Aichi's body, Blaster Blade focused on stabilizing the power that re-entered the body for Aichi.

"I feel tired…" Aichi muttered before his legs gave out. He swayed before leaning forward and falling down from the platform. Kai caught him before he could hit the ground. "Kai…"

"I'm here and everyone's safe," Kai assured. Aichi nodded before he fell unconscious. Kai lifted him up and ran to the main group, but he felt some pain in his right shoulder. " _I think I injured my shoulder catching him,"_ he thought to himself as he endured the pain.

"Sky!" Bloom cheered before hugging Sky lovingly. Faragonda, Griffin and Codatorta entered Relix and saw that everyone safe, but Darkar and Void didn't seem finished.

" _Toshiki Kai! Aichi Sendou! When all this positive energy is gone, I will destroy you!"_ Void exclaimed. The positive energy zone was beginning to fade away and Aichi wasn't strong enough to keep it going.

Kai placed Aichi down on the ground and shook him. "Blaster Blade, I know Aichi isn't up to it, but we need a strong barrier. If we escape without Void getting close to the portal, Void will be stuck here forever," Kai explained seriously. Aichi slowly opened his eyes and raised his hand. Positive energy escaped from his hand and created the barrier around the group. The barrier also sent waves of positive energy to keep Void at bay.

" _Blaster Blade is radiating Sendou's power to keep me weakened!"_ Void exclaimed with a growl. The energy was so powerful that he wasn't able to move much.

"My Vanguard can't hold it for long, I am using the last of his energy," Aichi informed.

"We need to finish this in five minutes maximum! You can't see Void, but he is here and he can't let him get through this portal!" Kai informed everyone with an urgent tone in his voice.

"Hyperian Formation boys!" Codatorta ordered.

"Let's go!"

"It doesn't have to end this way! Give us Bloom and the boy, and we'll spare you!" Darkar began negotiating impatiently.

"No!"

The teachers strengthened the barrier while the Winx gathered together to do a convergence. Darkar flew to the side to try to get through. "I'm going to get them! Bloom and the Ultimate Power belongs to me!" He shouted.

The convergence was released and Darkar was defeated. "No! This can't be happening!" Darkar cried. "No!" He shouted before disappearing.

" _I need to at least get through that portal!"_ Void shouted before trying to get through the convergence spell and the positive energy field.

"Let's go! We need to get through the portal quickly! Aichi can't hold it up any longer!" Bloom ordered. She knew that Void must have been trying to get to the portal. Everyone went through except for the teachers, and Aichi and Kai.

"Take Aichi and go in there first," Faragonda said.

"No, we'll be the last to go through," Kai responded. He stood up holding his shoulder.

"We'll all go in together," Griffin said. Faragonda levitated Aichi from the ground to make it easier on Kai. They ran through the portal that was closing. The portal closed right before Void could get through.

 _"No! Come back and defeat me without your cheap methods!"_ Void shouted angrily. The realm began to crumble around him.

Meanwhile, everyone was on the ground panting after getting through the portal safely. "Is it over...?"

"Yes! Darkar is over!" Faragonda informed confidently. Kai was checking on Aichi who was left on the ground comfortably. He was glad to see him sleeping peacefully.

"Our conflict with Void is over and you can come back to us... isn't that great... Aichi?" Kai asked with a relieved smile. He was still holding his shoulder because it was still hurting quite a bit.

"It is time for us to leave!" Faragonda told everyone, but especially Kai. She was hesitant to use her powers to levitate Aichi since Shadowhaunt will cause her to use her energy more quickly than usual. Codatorta noticing that lifted Aichi up from the ground and carried him in his arms.

* * *

When they got out of Shadowhaunt, Kai sat beside Aichi on the ship. He was peacefully sleeping leaning his head on Kai. "Are you his friend?" Bloom asked curiously.

"Yeah," Kai answered simply. He didn't take his eyes off of Aichi so it was a little awkward.

"Well, I guess I should have known that, since you risked your life and all," Bloom pointed out while nervously laughing.

"It was nothing. He did the same for me before," Kai responded sounding down. Faragonda walked to him and put her hand on Kai's right shoulder which made him flinch.

"He will be fine after some rest. But you are hurt, aren't you?" Faragonda asked seriously.

"It's nothing," Kai responded coldly. Faragonda took his arm and used healing magic. After a little while, the pain disappeared and it felt as good as new. "Thank you. Where am I anyway?" He asked while looking around. Everything looked high tech and he wasn't quite familiar with magic.

"You're in the magic realm. It is different from where you live. Here there is magic," Flora explained with a smile.

"I can see that. So you have been here this entire time. No wonder we couldn't find you," Kai said while looking down at Aichi. They soon made it back to Alfea. Though the ride, both Aichi and Kai were asleep because both were exhausted. Aichi was still resting his head on Kai's legs and Kai had his head down with his eyes closed.

"They are both exhausted," Flora commented with a small giggle.

"We'll take them to the infirmary. We'll also hold a party for the end of the semester to celebrate the defeat of Darkar and the end of the semester," Faragonda declared excitingly. Everyone cheered loudly after hearing the news.

After remembering that there were two people asleep, they quieted down and were relieved that both were still sleeping.

The next day, the party at Alfea began in the evening. Kai woke up and found himself inside the infirmary. Aichi was sleeping on the bed beside him. Kai got up and sat on a chair beside Aichi's bedside. "I feel his Psyqualia. It is probably Takuto or Harmonics Messiah," Kai said to himself. He waited for Aichi to wake up himself.

Kai was looking over his deck when Aichi opened his eyes. "Kai…?" Aichi muttered.

"You definitely took your time," Kai commented jokingly, but with an emotionless tone.

"I'm sorry. I was talking to Harmonics Messiah about the situation of my powers. She let Blaster Blade stay around me until I can control them enough. They are still thinking about sealing part of it still, but I don't mind," Aichi explained with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, like everything you do," Kai assured.

"I missed so much… I don't think I should study at university if I might get caught up with this stuff again," Aichi said sadly.

"What do you mean you can't go to university. You'll be fine since you always work so hard," Kai responded.

Faragonda soon walked into the room. "I see you are both awake, that is good to see," she commented kindly.

"I am sorry for causing you so much trouble, Ms. Faragonda," Aichi apologized sincerely. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I guess everything is over then," he said relieved.

"Yes, it is. Actually I wanted to talk to you about something very important," Faragonda informed. Aichi looked at her waiting to hear what she had to say. "I wanted to tell you that you are more than welcome to stay here to master your powers," she suggested.

Aichi turned to Kai before turning back to Faragonda. "I think I'll go home for now. It has been a while, and I should make sure everyone isn't worried about me," he responded nervously.

"I understand. Just remember this offer will remain standing, so feel free to stop by whenever you wish to," Faragonda informed invitingly.

"I'll make sure to come by one day. If you need any help at all, just ask me," Aichi agreed with a smile.

"Thank you, Aichi. Come to my office when you are ready to return back to Earth," Faragonda informed before turning to the door.

"Thank you, Ms. Faragonda," Aichi thanked. "We'll see you later tonight," he said.

"Okay, I will wait," Faragonda responded. She walked outside of the room.

"You can get some more rest before we leave. I'll wake you up before it gets too late," Kai suggested.

"No... I'm feeling better now, so I don't need more sleep. I just want to say goodbye to everyone before we go. They helped me every step after I lost my memories, so I think they deserve that much," Aichi responded. He got up from the bed. Kai analyzed him and he really did look fine and full of energy. Kai smiled and got up too before following Aichi outside of the infirmary.

They walked outside and saw the bright lights of the party. Aichi spotted Bloom with Sky who were talking to each other. "Hey, Bloom. I'm going back to Earth right now, so I just wanted to say bye to you before we leave," he informed with a smile.

"So do you remember everything now?" Bloom asked curiously.

"I do. Thank you for your advice when I lost my memories and helping me get through all this," Aichi thanked kindly. "If you ever need my help, you can ask me whenever you want. I'll drop everything and come help you," he said.

"So what are you going to do now?" Bloom asked worriedly.

Aichi shrugged and looked at Kai nervously, who just turned away from him. He turned back to Bloom and laughed nervously. "I think I'm going to attend university for Astrophysics. I'm not sure yet, but I was thinking of going home until the next school year," he answered. He looked over at Sky to see that he was waiting for them to be done talking. "I should get going now. Here, I'll give you my phone number, so that you can contact me when you need my help," he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone.

"My Earth phone is still in my room, so I'll write it down on a piece of paper for now," Bloom said before taking a napkin from the table beside them and writing the number down on the piece of paper with magic.

"Okay, I'll keep in touch," Bloom said. Aichi smiled and nodded.

"Maybe we'll see each other again soon," Aichi said before leaving with Kai. They walked to Ms. Faragonda's office and opened the door. "Ms. Faragonda, we should get going now. Just remember to ask me if you need anything," Aichi informed.

"Okay. It was a pleasure to meet you those long months ago. Make sure to stay safe from now on," Faragonda responded. She summoned the portal and Aichi and Kai walked through it.

"Hey Kai, can we have a card fight? I know you are pretty busy because you need to go back to the league soon... but..." Aichi asked playfully.

"Of course," Kai agreed with a cold tone and a sigh. Aichi laughed as the portal closed.

"Is it a good idea to let him live his life freely? He has immense power inside of him and it might be a power others will seek," Griselda asked curiously.

"He has a life outside of this realm. It isn't fair for us to force him to stay," Faragonda answered with a sigh. "We'll keep an eye on him and check in on him once in a while. His power might be useful if the school needs protection and I have a feeling more danger will come in the coming years," she explained before looking down at the party below them.

"For now, let's celebrate our victory and enjoy ourselves while we still can," Faragonda declared with a smile before they both left the room and joined the party.

* * *

 **Alright, guys! We are finally here!** **This is officially the final chapter of this story! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I know it was a LONG road with lots of long delays for the last 4 chapters. Thank you for all the support!** **One day, I may finish and publish the continuation of this story in the future, so stay tuned for that! ^-^**

 **Again, thank you for all the support and I'll see you in my next story!**


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